The Fairest Thing
by TheHipDeathGoddess
Summary: Becoming a knight should be a time of celebration, but with pirates in the north, an evil wizard threatening war, ancient artifacts and a magic ring, it is anything but. Rated T mostly for CYA reasons, but this story does contain violence, adult situations and mild language. It's a continuation of "It's Just a Girl."
1. Chapter 1: Midsummer

_Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight  
Or he would call it a sin;  
But we have been out in the woods all night  
A-conjuring Summer in  
And we bring you news by word of mouth  
Good news for cattle and corn  
Now is the Sun come up from the South  
With Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!_

-A Tree Song, By Rudyard Kipling

It was Midsummer Eve when the plan was hatched. Maenad took advantage of the long days of summer to roam the countryside around the Castle and Smurf village like she had been accustomed to for years. She did like civilized life as a member of the king's court and Princess Savina's Latin tutor, but she had spent far more of her long life as a werewolf than as a human, and wild places called to her. Occasionally she would invite her human friends along - Johan, Peewit, and the Princess, but this time she wished to visit the Smurfs alone.

High Summer was a holiday for otherworldly creatures, wizards and magic-workers of all sorts. The Smurfs typically visited the wizard Homnibus, and they had agreed to let her come along. Business in the castle was not very interesting to her anyway. While acting as temporary regent for the King while he recovered from an attempted assignation, King Gerard had introduced a plan to turn the aging church in his kingdom into a full cathedral after visiting Princess Francesca, his betrothed. He saw a newly-built cathedral in her city that was huge, soaring, and filled with glass and colored light. He was busy finding artists and craftsmen to have one for his own people to enjoy.

While Gerard made his plans, preparations were being made for Savina's wedding the following spring. Arranged more for politics than romantic attraction, it would nonetheless be a big party. Coming in just two weeks was a ceremony called an "adoubement" in which Johan would be made a knight in recognition of his recent slaying of a werewolf and stopping an assassination. She had helped with those deeds, but she had been in wolf form and few knew about that. Maenad preferred things that way; in the seven hundred years she had been a werewolf, humans almost never liked having a large, intelligent, magical predator hidden among them. That most werewolves were bloodthirsty mercenaries didn't help their species' reputation.

Maenad tried to work up excitement for her friends, and it _was_ interesting to learn how these humans made one into a warrior…at first. But most of this ceremony sounded very boring and would take place in a church, and she was always nervous that one of the holy men might call her out as a demon, monster or worse.

The Smurfs had brought presents and food to celebrate Midsummer, and Homnibus had a cask of mead saved for the occasion. They ate, drank and had a merry time. Maenad told them about how an adoubement went (as she understood it.) The Smurfs were interested in every detail, and Homnibus was pleased his friend Johan was getting the recognition he deserved.

"The King wants to give me the honor of presenting Johan with his sword at this thing. I tried to convince him Savina should do it being, uh, higher ranking and all, but he insisted. I have no idea what to do and I don't want that harpy Dame Barbara to have to teach me."

"I think you'd do a Smurfy job, Drusillia," said Smurfette, using the Maenad's birth name. "I can't wait to see!"

"Hmph. Smurfy job or not, I don't want to do it. I don't like being in churches. Not since I got driven out of a Merovingian chapel by one of their idiot priests. I had to go into hiding for ten years after that. The priest told his lord, who tried to hunt me down and hang my head on his wall. My eyes give me away. They're the one thing about me that won't change back to human. If they could go back to brown like they used to be, it wouldn't be such a problem."

Papa Smurf looked thoughtful as he played chess with Homnibus.

"I seem to recall learning spells from the Fair Folk that let one make minor changes to one's appearance. They call such spells glamour. Maybe…"

"It's a bad idea, Papa Smurf," said Homnibus, taking his turn. "When those items get into the hands of humans, they cause all sorts of trouble. Remember the flute with six holes and how innocent it seemed until it fell into human hands? No, humans don't need the ability to change their appearance at will."

"But I'm not a human, and you don't want me acting like a werewolf. The only real alternative I have is to pass as human. Besides, it would make Johan and the King happy if I went through with this sword presentation business."

Homnibus looked at Papa skeptically.

"Please?"

"You have to promise that this spell will not leave your hands."

"As if I'd give away something that will make my life easier!"

After more discussion, Homnibus finally agreed to make a simple glamour spell for Maenad. It would only make minor changes to her current form, not allow her to masquerade as someone else. Papa Smurf gathered components from the larder while Homnibus looked up an appropriate spell in one of his many books.

"I will need something to hold the spell itself, Drusillia, something you can take off when you don't want the glamour to take effect."

"Here, have this." Maenad took off the signet ring she wore, the one she had taken from the traitorous Prince Lothar.

The two wizards began constructing the spell.

"You said you wanted your eyes to be brown again, is that right Drusillia?"

"Can they be any color?"

"…yes?"

"If it's all the same, make them sky blue. And can you make me tall? I'm the second shortest person in the castle besides Peewit. I could blend in more easily if I were maybe…a foot taller?"

"…all right…."

"Can you increase my uh, female assets?"

"Now you're just getting greedy! We're making you a normal-looking human, not a strumpet!"

"Oh, come now. If I wanted a lecture about modesty, I'd have stayed back at the castle. I gave you my only ring; I should have some say in this."

Before long, the ring-spell was completed. Maenad slid the ring on her finger. She felt the tingle of magic come upon her, though it did not feel the same as the magic that allowed her to shapeshift. She did not actually _become_ a taller, bustier, blue eyed woman, but one glance in a mirror showed that she appeared to have changed into a tall blue-eyed beauty with an hourglass figure. She thanked Papa Smurf and Homnibus for the spell and vowed to return the favor.

As the sun was finally setting, the Smurfs chose to leave for their village. Maenad left with them, but after parting ways with them she did not return to the castle. She shifted to wolf form, and roamed around the forest. Years of living as a wolf had made her primarily nocturnal, and it was too lovely a night to spend cooped up in a keep full of humans and their smells.

"Well, who's that shaggy black direwolf pretending to be a sleek grey wolf?" a voice from the brush asked in an old, lilting language.

Maenad shifted to human form. Apparently the spell worked on her as a wolf, too. Interesting.

"Gemon. It's been a while." A short man with a flat broad nose, curling horns, and shaggy goat's legs seemed to materialize out of the forest.

"Looks like someone's cast the glamor on you, Child of Lykaon."

"That's none of your business, and I'm no child of his" she told the faun. "What do you want? You can't tell me you just happened to stumble across me."

"I was wondering if you wanted to come celebrate High Summer with us, Drusillia. You started calling yourself a Maenad, might as well live like it, eh?"

Gemon knew Maenad's people back when she was human and sought her out as soon as word spread about her existence. As the only living priestess of Bacchus left alive, she had become something of an honored guest among certain circles of forest spirits.

While the two made their way to the designated grove, Gemon caught Maenad up on goings on among the local spirits and their interactions with humans.

"That reminds me, do you know any of those who dwell under the hills?"

"Not many, but I've run into a few. Strange group these native spirits are. Tricksters, mostly. Never accept any gift from them, and whatever you do, never thank them for anything."

"Tricksters? That's a good one, coming from one who harasses nymphs and human females all day. Speaking of which, do you know any of the fair folk who took a blonde human as a wife? I know someone who thinks he may be related to one of them. It would have been about seventeen or eighteen years ago."

"Not off the top of my head, but I can check. As a favor to you."


	2. Chapter 2: Practice

_There's a little gold ring_  
_You wear on your hand_  
_That makes me understand,_  
_There's another before me_  
_You'll never be mine_  
_I'm wasting my time_

_Midnight Confessions - The Grass Roots_

The following day Maenad was back at the castle, hung over. She took off her glamour ring before she snuck in. _Best to keep that a surprise_, she thought. Johan and Peewit were still gone, off on an errand for the king, so she decided to sleep off the previous night's excitement.

When midday came along, Johan and Peewit returned. They were late, but as often happened, they had involved themselves in an adventure, this time helping a Lady free her husband from kidnappers who were trying to ransom him for an exorbitantprice. There was more to the story, and the two agreed to tell the whole tale over dinner.

They were tending to their mounts, or at least Johan was. Peewit was practicing some king of magic trick to show the King. That's what he said it was anyway, it was hard to tell exactly what the trick was supposed to be. Other than getting tied up in his own scarves.

"Heaven help us if you ever get it in your head to saw a person in half," said Johan as he untied his friend. "Or should I even be giving you ideas?"

Peewit was utterly deflated. Maenad was convinced he had Fey blood and had promised to find proof, and here he couldn't even do simple stage magic.

"You're back!" Exclaimed a soft voice behind them. It was Savina, wearing a pale blue and white gown similar in cut to the pink one that had gotten ruined during the incident with the werewolf and the traitor. She had a bow and a quiver of arrows in her hand.

"Maenad cancelled my lesson today, she says she's sick with something and hasn't left her room. Do you have time to practice?"

"Of course! Let me go get some things," replied Johan. He always had time for Savina.

"And while he's gone, let me show you my new magic trick!" piped up Peewit. It would be less embarrassing to have someone else untie him if he messed it up again.

Politeness demanded Johan check on Maenad, but she told him to go away when he knocked on her door. A page told him she had disappeared for all of yesterday and the previous night, showing up in her room early this morning. He was in love with the Princess, but considering she was betrothed to Prince Andrew, he allowed Maenad to pretend to be his lady-love.

He wished he hadn't. It was deceitful, which bothered him, and the fact that Maenad kept acting temperamental and strange in public was often embarrassing. But the King and everyone else were convinced he liked the dark haired foreign woman, and the false courtship drew attention away from the time he spent with his real love. He would make things right after he was knighted, he told himself.

He met up with Savina in the practice yard. She needed very little instruction; she was a better archer than some of the King's soldiers. Peewit needed lots of instruction though, he simply didn't have the attention span, and his arrows landed everywhere except the target.

"Aw, out of arrows. I'm going to go get them, hold your fire, please!"

"I suppose now would be a good time to take a break," Savina said.

"Could you fetch us a drink while you're at it, Peewit?" Johan asked.

"Sure! I'm hungry anyway. This heat works up an appetite!"

"Everything works up _your_ appetite!"

While Peewit gathered the arrows and ran off to bother the cooks in the kitchens, Johan offered to help Savina improve her stance.

"Here, you're not holding the arrow right, it should be like this…"

He took her hand and re-arranged it on the fletched end of the arrow. As he moved her fingers, she felt something slide onto one. She let the arrow fly and it missed its mark, but when she looked at her hand she saw there was a silver band with a single garnet on one finger.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful!" She gave him a hug in spite of them being relatively in the open.

"It was my mother's. I've been saving it to give to the girl I would marry."

"You know that can't be me."

"Yes. But I want you to have it anyway, If circumstances were different…"

"Are you sure – do you mean it?"

"I can't think of anyone else I would want to wear it."

"Not even Maenad?" she asked with a grin.

"Especially not her."

* * *

In the throne room, the King was dealing with far less pleasant matters. A rogue sorcerer on the edge of his kingdom was stirring up trouble. He seemed to be building an army, and heralds who went into the borders of his land were either scared off or driven out. Rumors were that he was testing alchemical concoctions that maimed and killed the wildlife in the countryside.

The King was a peaceful man, but he could not let someone as malevolent as Balthazar raise an army for unknown reasons. He informed his nephew Gerard and the barons and nobles whose lands bordered Balthazar's that military action might be necessary. It was with a heavy heart that he applied his seal to he letter to Gerard. He would much rather prepare for Savina's wedding, and have Johan's adoubement be a reward for loyal service to the Kingdom then a preparation for war.

Which reminded him! He summoned his scribe to return and dictated a letter to Sir Edelhart, Johan's father. Neither had seen him since he returned from an ill-fated campaign in the east, and he was sure his old friend would not want to miss seeing his only son made a knight.


	3. Chapter 3: Trouble

_Nothing or no-one will ever  
Make me let you down  
Kiss them for me, I may be delayed  
Kiss them for me, if I am delayed_

_-Siouxie and the Banshees, Kiss them For Me_

Balthazar went again to the magic mirror. A small dome of polished obsidian, it was from an unknown country and of unknown age. On the back was etched a strangely stylized bull and leopard. He had taken it from a rival wizard, who claimed he'd gotten it from an ancient tomb far to the north. Not that he cared much about the mirror's true origin. It showed visions of strange places and people. It had amazing power, power wasted by the mirror's late previous owner. Balthazar did not know if he was seeing the future, the past, or even other realms. Whatever he was seeing, it fascinated him.

He told his servants not to let anyone disturb him for any reason, sprinkled some heady incense over a glowing censer, and relaxed on his couch with the mirror in his hands. One had to allow the mirror to show its wonders; it could not be forced, though Balthazar had certainly tried. The black surface shined, slightly cloudy beneath the surface. Slowly, the clouds began to move, then parted, revealing murky figures.

Balthazar saw a nation of people with dark skin and raven-black hair, dressed in bright feathers and covered in green gemstones, at some kind of tournament in a sun-drenched stone palace. The language they spoke, like the lush, bright landscape and costumes were completely foreign. Men in heavy leather armor bounced a ball in a stone courtyard while the nobles (assuming that's who they were) fanned themselves in alien luxury. Balthazar watched the game fascinated by the jewels and beautiful furs they wore. After a while, one of the players managed to bump the ball through a stone ring high in the wall. The champion was treated with much fanfare, led to another courtyard and given a ceremony of some type, which culminated in the champion being beheaded by a man that Balthazar guessed was a king or lord of some type. It was absolutely beautiful. What would happen next? The mirror's sheen began to shift again.

This new place was very different from the painted courtyard where the feathered people held their tournament. It was wet, muddy, and dreary. Splintered stumps jutted from the mud where trees once stood, and twisted rubble marked the remains of towns, houses, and castles. Instead of lush forests, the countryside was crisscrossed with crude ditches and holes. Balthazar had seen this place before. It was one of the most fascinating worlds the mirror showed him. It was like a twisted version of his own. The thorny vines that stretched across the ditches were actually made of metal, and the thunder in the background was caused not by storms but by explosions the people of this world made using their alchemy. A group of men marched on half submerged boards through one of the filthy ditches, carrying strange crooked lances, accompanied by a dog and a mule pulling a cart covered in a tarp. They were all dressed alike, and seemed to be soldiers, though the only armor they wore were metal helmets. A whistle and pop sounded nearby. The dog began barking wildly, and suddenly a yellow fog drifted into the ditch. The men panicked, taking out masks and putting them on themselves and also on the dog and mule. They all resembled insects wearing them, even the animals. _What was in that fog?_ One of the men did not get his mask on quickly enough, and began coughing and struggling surrounded by the yellow fog. He began gasping for air, almost as if he were drowning. It was horrifying to watch; the masked men came to his aid, but the man was apparently too far gone to be helped. They put him in the cart and continued their journey as the vision faded.

Balthazar had deduced that he was watching some kind of war, one that caused tremendous suffering. Some of the men in this world were driven mad by battle, others went blind or got blown to bits by the alchemical explosions. And then there were the armored beasts these people had tamed to make war with! Balthazar put the mirror down and picked up the quill and parchment he kept handy every time he used the mirror. These notes he took would come in useful when he sat down in his laboratory to try and replicate what he saw. He had limited success so far, but if he succeeded in duplicating the things he saw, he would be unstoppable in his plans. He had already managed to replace the hand of a rogue prince using an idea he saw in the mirror. He had to give up one of his best gems to do so, but as insurance, he made it so the gem enslaved the prince to him. Lothar was not exactly happy about the arrangement, but seeing as how he didn't die, he had little to complain about as far as Balthazar was concerned.

* * *

With less than a week before the adoubement, guests had begun to arrive, though conspicuously not Edelhart. He had been reclusive and prone to going on lengthy quests since his wife had died, but he had not been able to go questing since the injury he received on his last adventure. The King decided not to mention anything to Johan yet. He didn't want to worry the boy right before such an important day; Johan was busy enough preparing for the ceremonies. Besides, he had his other guests to be a good host to. Two days before the adoubement a messenger finally arrived from Edelhardt's manor bearing a crumpled ransom note.

Written in a northern dialect, it came from a group calling themselves the "Brothers of Equality" and had arrived shortly after Edelhart had left for the King's castle. They had captured Edelhart and wanted food and provisions, as well as arms and armor in exchange for his safe release.

"Hmm, I've heard of these "Brothers of Equality," said Princess Francesca, who had come with Gerard to look at the note in the King's study. She gathered her long blonde hair away from her face as she looked down at the note. It fell back over her shoulders almost immediately.

"Really?" Both the King and Gerard looked surprised. Francesca's father was very wealthy and if Francesca had one fault, it was that she was spoiled and sheltered. What could she possibly know about kidnappers?

"They are pirates on the north coast. They hide in the marshes where nobody goes unless they have to, and strike the ships as they come up the rivers into inland harbors. I've heard stories that the marshes where they hide are haunted, but I've never been there obviously. It's far too dangerous, and father would never allow it. Most of what I know I know from overhearing Father complain about the Brothers raiding his ships. There are quite a few nobles on the coast who would love to capture them."

"Well we're certainly not going to arm a bunch of pirates, but we need to get Edelhart back as soon as possible," said Gerard thoughtfully. The king was less stoic.

"This is terrible! We have Balthazar threatening war on our border, and now pirates are kidnapping my nobles! And Johan's father of all people! We have to do something!"


	4. Chapter 4: Knighthood

_Kid in the snow, way to go  
It only happens once a year  
It only happens once a lifetime  
Make the most of it  
It's second just to being born  
Second to dying too  
What else would you do?_

_-Fox in the Snow, by Belle and Sebastian_

Savina and Barbara gave Francesca a tour of the castle and grounds while the King and Gerard attended to some important matter that just came up. In theory the two princesses should have gotten along splendidly, but in actuality they had very little in common. Savina was interested in what adventures and brushes with danger her future cousin-in-law had experienced, only to learn that she'd never had any. Francesca spent her childhood in a convent, and following that was kept blissfully under lock and key in her father's castle. Both of her parents still lived, and her father's kingdom was fabulously wealthy. It seemed nothing bad had ever happened to her.

Dame Barbara was much impressed by Francesca's manners and bearing. Though Savina did not envy such a sheltered life, she did feel a twinge of jealousy at this pretty blonde girl who could be a true proper princess with so little effort, bound for a mutually loving marriage to her cousin, who was as kind as the day was long. Francesca on the other hand was enchanted by Savina's tales of being kidnapped and rescued on several occasions. How boring her life must seem by comparison!

* * *

"Being held for ransom by pirates?"

"I'm afraid so, Johan. I didn't want your big day to be tainted by worry, but I wanted to tell you why he isn't coming. If you'd like to postpone, I understand."

Johan sat in deep thought. This was not a decision to be taken lightly.

"Would it be possible to hasten the ceremony? A lot of people have put in a lot of preparation to call things off completely, and I think I'd be able to do more for him as a knight than as a squire."

"We can do it as soon as tomorrow. I'll send out word. And I do think he'll manage. Your father is a survivor if anything. He's been through a lot worse than kidnapping."

Johan knew this as well, but he was still concerned. He had fond childhood memories of his parents, but hadn't seen much of his father in the eight years since his mother had died and he had come to be fostered in the here in the royal court. especially since Edelhart had been badly injured in a crusade against the Heathen Slavs in the west. He was also not exactly young anymore. It was hard to get sick with worry for someone you have not seen in years, but still...

Johan went to find Peewit to let him know that they would be leaving as soon as the ceremonies were over, and to find Maenad to ask her if she had ever heard of pirates who lived in haunted marshes and called themselves the "Brothers of Equality."

He found them together; Maenad practicing a tune on the strange double flute she played, and Peewit untangling a basket full of skeins of tangled yarn.

"Hmm, never heard of any Brothers of Equality, but I have been to those marshes before. Very creepy places indeed. It was a while ago, though I imagine they're still as sparsely populated as they were back then."

"You have? That's wonderful. Do you think you could find your way there again?"

"Probably, if it's ok with the King for me to go. I think Savina's occupied with her new friend Francesca."

"What do you mean, 'very creepy' and 'haunted'? Isn't it bad enough we're going to go look for pirates in the middle of nowhere?" Squeaked Peewit.

"You don't have to come along if you're just going to whine about it. It could just be Sir Johan and I, on a romantic journey!"

Johan rolled his eyes. "You do know you won't have to keep up with this act after we leave. And we're going to rescue my father, that's hardly romantic."

"Well I don't know about that; is your father as handsome as you are?"

"He's more than twice my age, Maenad." The remote possibility of Maenad as a stepmother was somehow more disturbing than having her as a pretend lady-love.

"You forget, when you've lived as long as I have, there's no such thing as "too old," she replied with a wink. Peewit tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle.

"Ahem. Anyway, I need you two to pass the word to Savina and get things ready for a journey. Gerard and the King wanted to finalize the details with me; I'll let them know you two want to come along." Johan hurried off. Manead stood and stretched.

"I'll go tell Savina. You have yarn to untangle still."

"Hey! You said you'd stay and help."

"I said I'd keep you company, not help. I'm not the one who wiped my mouth on a tablecloth right in front of Dame Barbara, and then tried to make it better by telling a fart joke. Besides, I have my own things to prepare."

* * *

Word got round the castle that the adoubement was being moved up due to Sir Edelhart's being kidnapped, and the rumors reached Savina before Maenad managed to. The werewolf found her glumly listening to Francesca compare which fabrics would be most fashionable for the coming season's gowns. She was eager to hear news from Johan, but her heart fell when Maenad confirmed that the ceremony was indeed being moved up so that he could leave immediately to try and rescue his father. She had planned on long joyful celebration, not a quick goodbye. All she wanted now was to visit him once more before the actual ceremony.

That visit couldn't happen; Johan had already gone to prepare. First came a ritual bath, then a nightlong fast and vigil. The next morning, the actual knighting would happen. She spent the rest of the day pretending to be interested in gowns and pageantry. Maenad joined the princesses, soaking in the details of a ceremony she was still unfamiliar with. Francesca was happy to instruct her on what to expect and how to act, and she was indeed much more pleasant and cheerful to learn from than Barbara.

* * *

The next day, dressed in their finest, the court assembled in the castle's chapel where Johan and the King waited. Maenad was running late, which annoyed Barbara, who had orchestrated the hurried ceremony.

She finally did slip in, just before the King was about to begin, looking nervous and clutching the sword. And also…different, though she hung near the back of the chapel where it was hard to get a good look at her.

Johan looked different as well, his hair was cut, he wore a new tunic of white, red and black (all symbolic of knightly duties and responsibilities as Maenad understood) and while he tried to look serious, he grinned nonetheless.

The King, also dressed in his best robes and jewels, stood and hushed the crowd. He beckoned Johan come forward and addressed him,

"Why do you wish to be made a knight? Is it with the hope of gaining treasure? Is it that men may show you honor?"

Johan denied both accusations. Though this was all carefully rehearsed, no one had any doubt of his sincerity. The King gave the signal for Maenad and several knights to approach, bearing sword, shield, golden spurs, and armor. Throwing off her hood and cradling the sword in one arm like a victory trophy, she followed the knights down the aisle. Would her ring sufficiently fool the humans in attendance? All eyes were suddenly on her. Judging particularly by Peewit's slack-jawed reaction, she assumed the spell worked. Smiling with satisfaction, she strode forward, to where the knights were arming Johan. He looked a little shocked to see her as she knelt and fastened the sword around his waist.

She stood with the others and watched as Johan knelt and the King drew his own sword and tapped Johan lightly on each shoulder.

"I present you all with Sir Johan!"

With that, he was a Knight, and everyone was free to gather around the smiling youth and offer him congratulations.


	5. Chapter 5: Separate Ways

_Been sick with a nasty flu, so if there's any strange weirdness starts to creep in, blame that. _

* * *

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

Peewit had caught Maenad as she was packing her things for their journey. It was the morning after the adoubment.

"How did you get so tall and beautiful last night?"

"Hmph! As for how I got so beautiful, that's nature's blessing, as you should have noticed earlier than last night. As for how I got so tall, I have a little secret."

Maenad pulled the ring from a pouch on her belt and slid it over her finger.

"Amazing!" Let me try! I've always wanted to be tall!"

"Absolutely not!" she replied, holding the ring out of Peewit's eager reach. "I'll have you know I promised Homnibus and the Smurfs I wouldn't let anyone else touch it. They made it just for me."

Just then, a page came into the room, informing Maenad that there was a gift for her by the front gatehouse. She took the ring off absentmindedly and stuck it in one of her packs.

"Bring this down to the gatehouse, would you, Peewit?" she said as she ran off.

"Since when am I your servant, huh?" But of course Maenad didn't hear her. He should just leave it all there, but being a good sport (and because he had a sweet spot for Maenad) he hoisted a huge bundle onto his back.

"What all has she got in here? This weighs as much as a horse!" He shifted the bundle, and the magic ring fell to the floor with a tinkle.

Peewit knew he shouldn't take the ring. Maenad did promise. At least she promised _she_ wouldn't let anyone else have it. If she were to somehow lose the ring, and he were to somehow find it, neither Homnibus nor the Smurfs could blame her. And he would be able to be tall and handsome. Besides, he was hauling all of her stuff down a flight of stairs out of the goodness of his heart. He grasped the ring and stuffed it in his pocket.

* * *

By the gatehouse below, Maenad met with the King, Johan, Gerard, Dame Barbara, and Count Tremaine. Gerard handed her the reins of a small, shaggy red dun pony.

"You got me a pony. For what, emergency rations?"

Gerard laughed. "No, I heard about how you and Johan were taking the overland route through the moors, but you weren't going to ride because horses seem to be terrified of you. So I found you a highland pony. I'm assured he isn't afraid of anything. His name is Reynard."

Maenad raised a skeptical eyebrow. She approached Reynard with an open palm.

"Hey there, pony. It's alright, I'm not going to…OW! He bit me!"

"But he isn't scared of you, Maenad! With time, you could learn to ride him, and he's just your size!" laughed the King. Dame Barbara was also laughing, which annoyed Maenad greatly.

She grudgingly thanked them for the gift, it would be rude not to. At least this animal could carry her packs while she loped ahead in wolf form. And there was still his potential as emergency rations. Reynard glared at her with what she swore was suspicion.

* * *

Johan returned to the armory to gather things for his trip after the presentation of Reynard.

"Psst, Johan!" It was Savina, and she sounded upset. He went around the corner to where she was hiding, barely holding back tears.

"What's wrong?" He offered, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"My uncle just told me…You're not the only one who's going away. With all the talk of war and now your father getting held for ransom, he said he thinks it would be best if I went and stayed with Gerard until it's time for me to marry Andrew. He's sending me away!" With that, she broke out into full sobs.

"Oh love, that's terrible!" He held her tight. They both knew the day would come when they would have to say goodbye for good, but this was too short of notice to bear.

"I wish I could come with you. I don't care about how dangerous it is, I just, I just…"

"Shh, you'll make a scene. I know. I'll talk to the King before I go. But no matter what, you know I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered.

* * *

Savina left the armory and made her way through the gardens, drying her eyes with her sleeves. Joyful singing came wafting through the air.

_Sumer is Icumen in,  
Loudly sing, cuckoo!  
Grows the seed and blows the mead,  
And springs the wood anew;  
Sing, cuckoo! _

She had heard the tune before, but the bright clear voice was unknown to her. Curious, and needing to distract herself, she followed the song to its source.

_Ewe bleats harshly after lamb,  
Cows after calves make moo;  
Bullock stamps and deer champs,  
Now shrilly sing, cuckoo!  
Cuckoo, cuckoo  
Wild bird are you;  
Be never still, cuckoo!_

"Peewit! That was _you_?"

"Heh, I guess it was!" he said, laying his lute down and crossing his arms with pride.

"How did you suddenly get so good?"

"I've been practicing, of course! And what was wrong with my singing before?"

"No practice works that well. What's the real reason?"

"Promise you won't tell anyone else, especially not Maenad?"

"I promise."

"I've got this magic ring that I found...in the forest. I thought it would make me tall, but instead it made me sing like this."

"Is that ring the same way Maenad became a foot taller…among other things…when Johan was knighted?"

"Y…I don't know. Possibly, maybe. She might have dropped it there. She's always running off doing who knows what in the woods. But I found it."

"I see…" said Savina. A ring that could change appearances enough to make Peewit sing beautifully. Very interesting! She hurried off to her chambers to pack and do some hard thinking.

* * *

_Modern English adaptation of the Middle English song __Sumer is Icumen In__ is from the soundtrack to the 1973 horror film __The Wicker Man__._


	6. Chapter 6: The Moor

The Smurfs arrived for what they thought was the adoubement, but what was in actuality the departure of Sir Johan on his first quest as a Knight. Though they were sad to have missed it, the understood Johan's reasons for rushing though, and they had a quick visit before the humans and Maenad were to leave. Johan was curious if the Smurfs knew anything about the moors they were going into, or the pirates that supposedly lived in them.

"Those moors go on for about five hundred miles, Johan. Not many people live in them, though they used to be more populated, as I remember. It will be very tough going," Papa Smurf said as he stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"That would explain why most prefer to sail around them, even with pirates on the coasts and rivers," replied Johan.

"There's a plank road though, I remember using it. It goes to a lake." added Maenad.

"Are they really haunted, though?" asked Peewit. That was the biggest concern on his mind.

"I…didn't see any ghosts when I was there, it was more the living people there I worried about, they were not the most friendly."

"Sounds like they're still none too friendly now!"

"I think I may have a map somewhere in my laboratory. It will be out of date, but if I find it, I will send some of my Little Smurfs to Smurf it to you. I think it might come in very helpful."

"That would be very helpful, Papa Smurf, thank you for offering, my friend," replied Johan.

* * *

The three set out as soon as their things were packed. Johan rode out on Bayard, wearing a regal new tunic that featured the King's chevron coat of arms. Peewit had his normal colorful attire and a lute across his lap on Biquette, and Maenad was dressed in a heavily embroidered man's tunic, hose and leather boots that looked fifty years out of date. Her hair was braided and wound up on the back of her head and she walked with Reynard on long reins, the pony loaded down with provisions. They decided to take an overland route to avoid capture by the Brothers of Equality.

Savina also left that morning, with a chest full of her things loaded on Gerard's coach, in addition to more chests filled with bolts of cloth and jewels for her wedding preparations and her dowry. She waved a tearful farewell to her uncle, Dame Barbara, and all her friends who remained. She never thought she'd be so heartbroken to leave this place in all her life.

The way to Gerard's castle was agonizing for her. She couldn't help but miss Johan, and her only distraction was Gerard and Francesca planning their wedding and making small talk. They were truly in love with each other, and each show of affection wounded her, though she pretended it was just the jolting of the carriage that was responsible for her discomfort.

After far too long of a discussion about what colors, flowers and banquet foods they would use for their respective weddings so as not to appear to be copying each other, Savina changed the subject to concern over her friends going to search for pirates in the northern marshes.

"Yes, it is strange how Sir Johan took a jester and a Lady with him instead of other knights or even squires," mused Francesca.

"Peewit has more than proven himself on quests for the King, and Maenad has proven herself as a competent fighter too," Savina replied.

"It's true, my love, Clockwork can tell you about how Johan and Peewit both saved us from my power hungry uncle," added Gerard. "I'm sure they will be fine. Though it _is_ odd to bring a Lady along on such a dangerous quest and not at least a squire, even if the Lady is serving as a guide." Clockwork was a mechanical Smurf who stayed with Gerard from time to time and acted as his adviser. He had been magically animated by Handy Smurf, a testament to the Smurfs's technical and magical skill.

_Maenad's much less a lady than you think_, thought Savina, though this conversation gave her a wonderfully dangerous idea. While Gerard and Francesca went back to discussing wedding plans, Savina thought to the ring she had secreted away in one of her trunks.

* * *

Johan, Peewit and Maenad entered rural countryside, filled with poor peat farms and a handful of ramshackle towns. The further into the marshes they traveled, the fewer and more far between the humble farmhouses became, as well as the roads and paths that connected them. In a tiny town just outside the great moors they visited a tavern, where they attracted much attention; Johan looking every bit like a knight and a nobleman, and Maenad and Peewit looking and acting completely foreign. Maenad asked about the plank road that led to the lake. None of the locals who would talk to her had ever heard of it. Peewit demanded mountains of food and sang badly. A couple of farmers pulled Johan aside and warned him that villagers had vanished in the marshes from time to time without a trace.

"It's possible my sister slipped into a bog and simply drowned while looking for duck's eggs, of course, but there are wild men in those moors, and…things, so be careful."

"…simply drowned?" Peewit cut his song off abruptly and snapped a lute string in the process.

"Hush, Peewit," Johan said, and asked the villagers if they had heard of any pirates in the area. They had heard rumors, but nothing more than Johan already knew.

"Wild men? Drowning? _Things?_" Peewit continued to sputter after Johan joined him and Maenad at the table.

"These 'wild men' could be the pirates we're looking for, Peewit!" He looked at Maenad, who drank her pint silently.

"Do you remember anything about these 'wild men' Maenad? Anything you'd like to share?"

"The people were all wild last time I was in these parts, completely uncivilized. It wouldn't surprise me that they hide criminals."

Considering that she considered him and Peewit barely civilized, that wasn't exactly helpful either.

* * *

The moor of the north proved to be sweltering and difficult to navigate. Days passed, and soon the houses and farms disappeared completely. Maenad loped ahead in wolf form, finding the safest route through the bogs and marshes, and looking for the elusive plank road and lake.

"It doesn't make sense! The road should be here! We should be near the lake shore!" she complained, shifting to human form one morning as she returned to their camp.

"Maybe we're not in the right area, this place all looks the same to me," said Peewit.

"No, we have to be in the right area. I remember it like it was yesterday. The people here took good care of the road because they used it for their processions to the goddess's island."

_Processions to a goddess's island? That didn't sound right..._

"What kind of processions did they have again?" asked Johan warily.

"Oh, you know, the people here had this sacred island on the lake, and they'd have these festivals where cattle and slaves would pull a sun chariot to all the local villages and then to the island to give offerings to the goddess who lived there. Called Nehru or something. No one my people worshiped."

"When…when did you see this exactly, Maenad?"

"Hmm, it was quite a while ago. My family had all died off, but I was able to find a position with a few other werewolves as a mercenary with a legion…I want to say Diocletian was Emperor…"

"Diocletian? That was…that was eight hundred years ago! Do you mean to tell me you haven't been back here since?"

"I did say it had been quite a while since I'd been this way several times."

"Eight hundred years is not 'quite a while!' It is a very, very long time!" Johan buried his face in his hands in frustration.

"So there's no plank road anymore? We're lost?" exclaimed Peewit.

"No, there's no plank road. It probably rotted away centuries ago. And now we have no idea where we are, thanks to Maenad's senility."

Maenad bristled at the accusation.

"Look here, whelp. I didn't see you or anyone else come up with a better plan to find these pirates than having me lead you! Do you think I wanted to go cross a haunted, stinking, sweaty bog with a pony that tries to kick me whenever I get near it if I wasn't trying to help you?"

They continued to argue throughout the morning, unaware that they were being followed.


	7. Chapter 7: Squire Dennis

Balthazar was furious. He been interrupted while looking into his obsidian mirror for some urgent news, but the news that interrupted his visions actually was important. A ship carrying items of interest to him had been captured by pirates in an inlet to the north. The items were among the things captured, though the ship and her crew had been released mostly unharmed.

"Send Lothar to me, I have a job for him." Balthazar growled as he crumpled the parchment and threw it at the page that brought it to him. The boy meekly bowed and scurried out of the room. Fetching Lothar was an unpleasant enough task, but provoking the master's rage further would be much worse.

Lothar shambled to Lord Balthazar's chambers. He had exactly recovered from the incident with that had nearly killed him and rendered him an outlaw. Or did it kill him, and Balthazar had merely taken his soul into bondage? He had no memories of what had happened after blacking out from loss of blood. What he did remember was the excruciating pain he felt when he woke up, and the sense that he was not alone in his head. He since learned that he was not, there was…something…bound to this prosthetic arm that had a mind of its own, something that Balthazar had used to control him like a puppet on more than one occasion when he was angered, which was something that happened more and more often. The Lord had become obsessed with a black mirror he had, to the point that servants whispered it was making him mad. Lothar thought he had always been mad, and didn't see how a mirror could make any difference, magical or not.

He entered the room, dressed in a fine blood red velvet tunic whose wide sleeves almost disguised the black iron gauntlet fused to his right arm, replacing the hand that was bitten off by a werewolf. His movements were stiff on the right side of his body and the left side of his face; Balthazar had done something to his whole body to make the gauntlet move with a thought like a real hand. The only price was that he could not remove this new arm, or get it wet. And the terrible presence that was always with him.

"What do you know of the Brothers of Equality, Lothar?" Balthazar demanded.

_He's in one of his moods. Wonderful_, thought Lothar.

"I know they are a group of rag-tag pirates who stalk the north coast and its river harbors, and that they give the Nobility in the area a great deal of trouble. But my kingdom was landlocked, Sire, I never had to deal with such riffraff directly."

"Pirates, hmmm? Well, they have stolen something very important to me, and to my plans. Something I can't replace. I want you to go north and find my ally, Lord Fulk. Take as many of my men as you need, but get me back my things. I don't care how you do it."

"As you wish, my lord," Lothar sighed. He hated taking orders from anyone. It was beneath his birthright. "I just need to know what it is I would be looking for."

"That information," Balthazar spat, "Is none of your business. It is crucial to my plans of conquest, and I cannot afford to let my enemies know what I have in development."

"But with all due…uh…respect…Sire, It is difficult to know what this Lord Fulk and I should get from these pirates if we don't know what it looks like or even what it is."

"I said it is _secret_!" Balthazar hissed. A shooting pain ran from the bloodstone gem on the back of the gauntlet's wrist up Lothar's arm and into his skull, causing him to stagger with pain. The red flecks on the opaque green stone flared as the pain increased, looking for a moment like blood splattering on jade.

"There are spies everywhere! I know King Gerard and his elderly uncle suspect me. I can't afford to let them know anything. Do you understand? Say what you want to cover your tracks, but this mission is secret, do you understand?"

Lothar gulped and nodded, and hurried away from his Master's chambers as soon as he could stand steadily to gather troops and equipment. He considered running away from this awful place, but Balthazar would know and make him suffer if he did, he was sure of it, damn this gauntlet and stone that flashed bloody red whenever his master's will was present.

* * *

The Smurfs came to Gerard's castle with Clockwork for a visit and also to deliver the map of the marshlands to be delivered to Sir Johan, Peewit and Maenad. Gerard took the map until a suitable messenger could be found. He mused aloud that it would be a good idea to send a squire not currently in the service of any knights or nobles to Johan. The only problem was that the map itself was tiny, and written in some unknown language, as it was written by and for Smurfs and not humans long ago. As the Smurfs followed Gerard and Clockwork to catch up on things, Savina took close note of where he put the map. It was the last thing she needed to put her own plans into action. Excusing herself to read up on the books Dame Barbara had sent with her, she snuck into the woods near the river with a large bag.

* * *

As midnight approached, the castle was unusually still. The king had thrown a lavish feast to honor Clockwork and to bid farewell to Francesca for the time being. A few people staggered from the great hall, and the guards ignored them. Most were strangers from Francesca's court anyway, and they would be leaving in the morning.

Savina crept from her room to the great hall and joined the few remaining revelers, dressed in a man's tunic, hose, and boots, and wrapped in a heavy hooded cloak. It was not her usual green and rust-red boy's attire; she did not want to be recognized by anyone. She wandered to Gerard's throne room, where he had placed the map under a bell jar on a shelf. The room was empty, and her soft leather boots made shuffling sounds in the dark. Carefully, she lifted the jar and put the map into a pouch on her belt. She replaced it with a seal ring she had taken from Gerard's study when he was showing it to her and Francesca.

"I'm sorry, cousin," she whispered sadly.

"Hey, boy!" a voice called from behind her as she crept from the throne room to the heavy painted door that led outside. "what are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I got…lost…I'm With the Princess, you see, and I'm not familiar with this, uh..." she said in the deepest voice she could manage, pulling her cloak tight over her face. She stumbled around a bit in an imitation of drunkenness.

"This is a restricted area, boy. Tell the other pages the same. We'll let you go this time, but the Princess will hear about it if we catch you here again, young…"

"…Dennis" Savina replied. "Sorry. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she said, bowing and hurrying out of the keep.

Success. She ran to the stables and grabbed the dun mare Gerard had given her to use, Sibylla. She snuck out of the gates, giving the guards the same story about being lost and drunk when asked what she was up to.

Once in the woods, she raced to the hollow tree where she had hidden her pack. It was somewhat light out; the moon was almost full in the clear sky. Savina looked around, terrified of being caught after getting this far. The only sounds she could hear were the normal sounds of the forest on a summer night: the cry of insects, the croaking of frogs, and the calls of the owls who hunted them. She must have been near the river, judging by the presence of frogs. She removed her cloak and lifted the pack from the hollow of the tree as silently as possible, jumping with every clunk and clink it made. She drew out a sword, one of Johan's gifts to her on a belt, which she buckled on. She had also brought a bow and quiver of arrows, which she slung across her back.

Taking a pair of scissors and a mirror, she gathered her long red hair onto a ponytail, and clipped it off, then proceeded to give herself bangs as best she could in the dim light, laying the hair gently on her cloak. She looked in the mirror again, and looked herself over. No, this still wouldn't do. Between her distinctive hair, her pretty face, and figure that still curved into an hourglass shape despite the linen corset she wore to conceal it, she could never pass as a boy. She would have to use the ring.

She pulled the ring she had stolen from Peewit out of the pouch on her belt and slid it on. _I hope this works. Please, please let it work._ She looked into the mirror again, and smiled when a handsome young stranger looked back at her. She didn't feel physically different, but the face of a brown haired youth with an angular, masculine face looked back at her. She wondered if her voice had also changed.

"Sibylla, come here, please." The voice was deeper, not completely unlike her own, but different enough for Sibylla to look at her, confused.

"It's all right, Sibylla, it's me." She took the horse by the halter and stroked her muzzle. Sibylla sniffed her human, and relaxed. The scent was the same. Savina hoisted the pack onto Sibylla's back, and secured it. She took another piece of parchment from her belt pouch. It was not the Smurfs' map, but a letter introducing Sir Johan to the squire Gerard had chosen to accompany him to find the Brothers of equality, named Dennis. It bore Gerard's own personal seal, making it official to anyone who would read it. "Dennis" put the scroll safely back in the leather pouch with the map and spurred Sibylla towards the river, where she shook the cloak over the river, letting her long hair be carried away by the current before galloping out of the woods and to the road that went north. She was free from her royal duties at last. She took a deep breath, paused, and looked back at the lights of her cousin's castle. Would it be for the last time? She only hoped Gerard, her uncle, the Smurfs and yes, even Dame Barbara and Prince Andrew wouldn't worry about her too much_._


	8. Chapter 8: The Island

They wandered aimlessly through the marshes in a foul mood. Peewit decided to cheer everyone up with a song.

"Please don't," snapped Maenad, who was waking in human form so she could argue more easily.

"But I think this song will surprise you! It'll sound much better than it usually does!"

"That's not promising a whole lot, Peewit," said Johan. "And are you admitting that you don't sound good normally?"

Peewit glared.

"_No_, but I've found a way to make myself sound even better than before. It's a new technique I've been practicing. If Savina were here, she could tell you all about how great it sounds."

"This I've got to see."

"Splendid. Just let me get the…the pick I use for it." Peewit began rummaging around in one of Biquette's saddlebags for the magic ring. It wasn't there.

"I know I packed it! It can't be gone, it just can't!" Peewit made Biquette pull to a halt, spread his blanket on the ground and dumped the bag's contents on the blanket and started rummaging for this "pick".

"Peewit, please, we don't have time for this. We'll find you a new pick when we get back to civilization."

"No, no, no, I have to find it!" Peewit wailed, turning socks inside out in desperation. With Maenad standing right there looking impatient and still fuming about Johan calling her senile, he couldn't say what he was really looking for. She would kill him if she knew he'd stolen from her.

"Peewit, come on. The road through the bogs may be gone, but we can't waste time looking for trinkets," she grumbled. "Your music could wake the dead no matter how much you practice or what instrument you use."

"You take that back! I don't sound that bad!"

And the arguing began again, but this time with Peewit demanding an apology from Maenad, and Johan trying to make peace between the two. The snap of a stick grabbed their attention, and all three turned to look at a young well-dressed man in a dark blue tunic with grey hose riding a dun mare.

Maenad drew her sword and Peewit scooped his things back into the saddlebag.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in these bogs?" asked Johan. The boy looked about seventeen, and was grinning like he's found some kind of treasure.

"I'm uh, I'm squire Dennis, and King Gerard sent me after you to assist you in your quest." Dennis kept grinning at them and then suddenly, realizing he was staring, reached into a pouch on his belt and produced a scroll. Maenad took it from the squire and handed it up to Johan. She never took her eyes off the boy.

_Does she see through the spell, considering she used it herself?_ Savina thought nervously.

"This is King Gerard's seal all right. I recognize it. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dennis. These are my companions, Peewit and Maenad."

Dennis just grinned again, then remembered his manners and greeted Manead and Peewit. Both bowed courteously.

"I have another thing that…Gerard…King Gerard wanted me to give to you," Dennis added. She fumbled with her pouch until she found the Smurfs' map. She wished she wouldn't be so nervous, but she was terrified of being discovered by Peewit or Maenad, and thrilled about being with Johan at long last.

"Here, this is a map of the moors, but I, uh, I can't read it. It's in a strange language." Johan's eyes lit up.

"I knew my friends wouldn't let me down! This is the good fortune we've been waiting for!" He took the map and unrolled it carefully. It was _very_ small. He dismounted and set it gently on Peewit's blanket so his companions could see.

"Hah, looks like I've been taking us in the right direction after all," said Maenad, smiling smugly.

"Yes, but we still have a long way to go, and I can't make out the writing on the map at all, and it describes several points ahead of us," said Johan.

"Maenad, you're the one who knows a dozen languages, can you read it?" asked Peewit.

"No, I've never seen anything like that. And it's so small, I think it was written by…" she looked up at Dennis warily "…by very small hands."

"Well, it shows the direction we need to travel to get to the coast, and that's better than wandering aimlessly," Johan said, rolling the map back up and handing it to Dennis.

"Keep this safe, and come with us."

They followed the route on the map, with Maenad again scouting ahead in wolf form. She gave Johan permission to tell Dennis her secret, on the condition that Dennis never reveal it. Dennis seemed surprisingly unshaken by the revelation that he would be traveling with a werewolf, Maenad thought. She dismissed her suspicion, and they continued until they found the plank road.

It appeared out of nowhere in a foggy and waterlogged bog, where traveling was particularly treacherous and visibility was poor. The companions were grateful for the road, though as soon as they began to follow it, they noticed a very strange feeling. Peewit noticed it first.

"Do you have this feeling like something is watching us? Something that feels angry?" He gulped and coaxed Biquette to move faster.

"I do feel something off," said Dennis, and Johan agreed. Maenad actually looked worried.

"Let's hurry. I don't like the feel of things either. There's something familiar about all of this. And not in a good way. Come on, you stupid excuse of a pack mule," she growled, tugging Reynard's reins.

They hurried along the road, and the mist grew thicker. The moors became silent, except for the cawing of ravens. The stumps of trees long dead and rotted sat in pools of water among lily pads, and reeds poked out of the water as if they were just sprouting. The air became very cold and the sky (what they could see of it) was cloudy and grey.

Peewit hurried ahead of the rest and disappeared in to the fog.

"Peewit, stay with us! You'll get lost!"

Peewit responded with a terrified shriek, and Johan, Maenad and Dennis ran to him, swords drawn. What they saw froze them in their tracks.

A woman dressed in a thick hide cloak stood before them. Her blonde hair hung limp and wet, and her dress was of an ancient peplos style, made of homespun plaid wool and covered in blood, a dress style that Maenad recognized with a shudder. The strange woman moved her head, and it flopped sickeningly, a coiled leather noose dangling from her throat.

"The three-fold death…" Maenad hissed and immediately shifted into a wolf.

"What is…" Johan asked before the women spoke to him. Her voice was like the rustle of dry leaves in the wind.

"Why do you bring our enemy here, child?"

"Who are you, and what do you mean by an enemy?" Johan replied, standing tall.

"I am a guardian of this island. That thing is our enemy. It slaughtered our people, desecrated our groves. You have done a great insult to our Lady to come here with it, after all these years."

_'That thing'…Maenad? And the guardian of an island? What island is…oh, no…_

"Maenad is my friend, and she has reformed her ways. We mean you no harm now."

"You don't know, child. If you saw the things we have, you would kill it now."

"No, I won't do that. Just let us pass, that's all we ask for. We serve the One True God; we had never heard of your Lady, and we did not know coming here would be taken as an offense."

"A servant of the One God who only wants to pass in peace. How interesting."

Eight more figures materialized from the mists. Some male, some female, but all dressed in heavy, homespun cloaks. All were wet, covered in blood, and had elaborately braided nooses dangling from their broken necks. While Johan tried to reason with the guardian, Peewit still stood in front of them, terrified.

"Like us, but not like us. And something holds him back from his gifts," One of the women said in the same rustling leaves voice.

A man, whose hair was fiery red, drifted up to Peewit. The Jester did not move; he was frozen like a rabbit that had been spotted by a hawk. The guardian placed a thumb squarely on Peewit's forehead. He stiffened, and then fainted on the wet boards.

Dennis's attention was immediately drawn away from Johan and the fist guardian.

"What did you do to him?" He demanded, Holding his sword at the man threateningly.

"We have given him what is rightfully his," said the second woman.

"You tried to kill him!" Dennis cried, and lunged at the man, who vanished and reappeared near the others.

"Young and brash," said the first guardian, "…and ignorant. Take the Roman away from here. You may pass, but we will hold you responsible for her actions, Servants of the One God."

The guardians drifted back into the mist, leaving the four alone with only the sound of ravens breaking the silence. They were not where they had been standing a few moments ago; this was a grassy hill, with no plank road or island to be seen. Peewit lay on the ground, and his companions rushed to his aid. He began to stir.

"Maenad, you know what those things were, don't you? They seemed to know you," Johan said, getting a blanket for Peewit.

"I remember now," Maenad murmured, not looking at anything in particular. "The Slaves of Nerthus. The ones who were drowned in the lake when the processions were over on the first day of spring. None of us actually saw it happen, but we were told by informants."

Peewit struggled to sit up, holding his head.

"It's like a glass goblet shattered in my head…" he said. Dennis gave him a waterskin to drink from, and they decided this hill was as good of a place as any to make camp. Peewit needed to recover from whatever the guardians had one to him, and they needed to consult the map and figure out where they were now.

After a fire was started from what little dry material could be found and a tent was pitched, Dennis gave Johan the map and they all examined it.

"I think we're over here, east of the lake," said Maenad, pointing at an odd squiggle.

"I don't see any lake."

"No, but now I remember where it was now."

"You and your memory! Hasn't it gotten us into enough trouble as it is?"

"Let me see," said Peewit. He stumbled to the map and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He could read it, though he didn't know why. The characters suddenly fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

"It says there was a lake there, but it was swallowed up by the bog. And northeast of that is a town."

All three of his friends stared at him wide-eyed.


	9. Chapter 9: Runaways

_Well, we know where we're going_  
_But we don't know where we've been  
And we know what we're knowing  
But we can't say what we've seen  
And we're not little children  
And we know what we want  
And the future is certain  
Give us time to work it out_

_-Talking Heads, Road to Nowhere_

"How can you read that, Peewit?" Maenad asked, incredulous.

"I…I just can. All of a sudden."

"Is because of something one of those…guardians did to you?" Asked Johan, standing next to Dennis.

Peewit turned to face the squire, and his eyes went wide. "Dennis" was a ghostly aura barely concealing Princess Savina. Except her hair was cut short, and she wore a ring on her finger that blazed like a star. His missing ring, the one that made a person's desired appearance materialize. But…how did he know that? Was it really Savina in disguise, or another trick? He clasped his forehead and concentrated on the map.

He continued to translate, but kept looking at "Dennis" out of the corner of his eye. Though the features and voice were double, it was certainly Savina under the glamour. What on earth was going on?

Dusk was approaching when the map was clear enough to calibrate their location. The guardians had apparently moved them about a hundred miles closer to the mysterious town. Whether this was a sign that they were more benevolent than they seemed, or that they wanted Maenad to be far, far away from them, no one could tell. They decided to camp for the night and set out the next morning. Their animals grazed as the four sat in the waning light around the fire. They did little talking. Everyone had questions they wanted to ask the others, but there was no real polite way to ask.

_If you saw the things we have, you would kill it now._

As if sensing Johan's thoughts, Maenad spoke up first.

"I want to thank you…for speaking up for me earlier. That's not something many humans would do," she murmured while staring at her half chewed hard tack.

"You're welcome, Maenad. But...It's been bothering me...the things they said, about how you slaughtered their people…are those things true?"

"I did a lot of things back then that I try not to remember. I was following orders, we all were. That may not be an excuse to some people, but we did what we had to in those days. It was a very long time ago. You said so yourself."

She seemed sincere, and it was rare for her to be so humble.

"If you had to do it over again, would you still do what you did?"

"No. I wish I'd never had to go to war. It was never my choice to be this way."

* * *

Peewit did not sleep well that night. He kept noticing more things he had never noticed before. Things he'd never been able to notice before. A rustling woke him as someone left the tent. It was Dennis. Peewit silently rose and stepped over his sleeping friends and waited outside the tent.

After a short while, Dennis came back up the hill.

"Peewit, what are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep…Princess." Dennis gasped and pulled Peewit away from the tent, covering his mouth.

"How did you know?" She demanded.

"I can see through the ring's spell now. I've been able to see lots of things since that guardian touched me. And I know things, too. It's kind of frightening."

"You can't tell them! Especially not Johan! He'll try and send me away if he finds out now!"

"So are you going to tell him at all?"

"I will, just not now. I want to wait for the right time."

"Does anybody know about this besides me?"

"N…no. I ran away, and those papers from King Gerard are forged. I stole the map and his seal to do this." She sat down and crossed her arms across her chest. "I couldn't stand the thought of marrying against my will, and being away from Johan. That's why you can't tell anyone. I'm…I'm already probably in a lot of trouble."

"I promise you I won't tell anyone," Peewit said, laying a hand on her shoulder. _In a lot of trouble_ probably didn't begin to describe things, Peewit thought. Dame Barbara would be mad as a hornet when she found out, and for the first time he was glad he was in a haunted bog and not back home.

* * *

Travel was easier in this part of the bogs, and after a few more days, they started to see what may have been trails though the marshes. When they camped for the evening, Johan tested Dennis's abilities in archery and swordplay. He was impressed; Gerard had made a good selection for him.

Peewit had been given command of the map since he was the only one who could read it.

"We might be closer to the town on the map, if it's still there," he said, looking at one of them.

"So should we follow it? Remember what happened last time we followed a road…" asked Dennis.

"I think we should," replied Johan. "I have a feeling that where the village is, we'll find people who know where my father is."

They followed the road for some ways, with Maenad scouting ahead as a wolf.

"There's some humans around, though they think they're hiding from us" she said, shifting to human to give a report.

"They're waiting for us over the hill, probably to catch us in an ambush. What do you suggest we do?"

"How many are there?"

"Five. All armed. Dressed strangely, too."

"Let's go on ahead, but be ready for them. Maenad, you lead, Dennis, have your bow ready. Try not to hurt them until we know who they are."

Peewit put the map in a safe place, and whispered a battle plan in Biquette's ear.

As expected, they were ambushed on the road by five individuals, all wearing strange eastern-style clothing, and all were on foot, without horses. The strangers ignored Maenad, and went straight for the humans.

Dennis fired a warning shot inches from one of them, catching an arrow in his flapping cloak. Another one came at Johan with a sword, but Johan was able to fight him off. A third tried to knock Peewit off Biquette. Maenad leapt on his back and nipped at him to get his attention. Biquette rammed one trying to come at Dennis from behind.

They were about to regroup for a second attack, when the one who Johan had fought off put his hand up and said something to his companions in a singsong language that was not familiar.

The other four paused, as if they'd realized something. All were staring at Johan in particular.

"Why are you here, foreign soldiers?" the leader finally asked with a heavy accent.

"I am Sir Johan, and my companions and I are looking for the Brothers of Equality. They've captured a relative, and we've come to retrieve him. We don't want to fight you, but we will if we have to."

The strangers talked amongst themselves excitedly in the singsong language, before the leader again addressed Johan.

"Yes, that I see. We will take you to a place, where ask will we if you can see the Brothers. No promises. But you give us your weapons first."

Johan and Dennis dismounted and reluctantly handed their weapons to the strangers. Peewit was unarmed except for his music, and Maenad stayed a wolf, pretending to be a very large pet dog for the time being. The humans were blindfolded and led with their animals several miles to what they saw was a large hall once they were finally inside and the blindfolds were taken off.

"Here you wait. Don't try anything!" said the leader as he left. They could hear him talking with a guard outside, but could not understand what he said.

"What should we do?" whispered Dennis. She was actually a little excited to be on a real adventure where she wasn't being rescued or expected to behave like a proper princess.

"Wait here. We've got no weapons, but Maenad's under the table, and she saw the way here. She can lead out if we need to escape. Besides, if they have my father, I want to cooperate for the time being."

Maenad heard something outside and trotted out. As a "dog" she was allowed to come and go as she pleased. They were in a small village by a river. The village was actually on a raised hill overlooking the countryside. The building her friends were being held in was actually a small wooden castle or fortress, with thatched roof cottages surrounding it. Their horses, goat and pony seemed to be treated well, but the men were of course going through their packs. Checking for more weapons and any valuables, if these were indeed pirates or highwaymen.

She scouted around the village some more, carefully avoiding any animals or people, until a small boat arrived on the river. This seemed to cause quite a stir, though she was only able to pick up a little of the language these people used. She raced back to the fortress to defend her companions if need be.

The doors to the hall creaked open, causing the humans to start. A group of heavily armed men in foreign dress came into the hall, followed by two individuals in hooded cloaks. Johan, Dennis, and Peewit all stood to meet them. The two cloaked figures walked up to them and looked them over carefully.

"It is true. I can see the resemblance. He'll be very pleased, don't you think, Swanhild?"

"I think he will, Cyneric."

They pulled their hoods back, revealing themselves to be a man and a woman in men's clothing. Both had coal-black hair and the woman had a scar going down her cheek, marring an otherwise pretty face. The man's appearance was especially startling, though; he looked as if he could be Johan's older brother. He had longer hair and a goatee and appeared to be around thirty, but the resemblance was unmistakable.

"Hello cousin. We've been told a lot about you."

* * *

**I've been kind of switching back and forth between calling Dennis _him_ and _her_. Given that all of you reading this all know his secret, I suppose it doesn't matter, even though it might not be grammatical. Good manners dictate that you call a person by the gender they appear to be, so I try and follow that rule. Please forgive any confusion. It will all be sorted out in the end *rubs hands together evilly***


	10. Chapter 10: Cry Little Sister

"That's impossible, I don't have any cousins. None that are known, anyway," Johan finally replied, after the initial shock of the revelation passed. Swanhild and Cyneric looked amused by this, which was irritating.

"That is what your father thought as well, until we captured him. It was quite the surprise for us to learn our uncle and cousin were both landed knights, believe me," said Swanhild.

"This has to be a trick," Johan said, though he had the sinking feeling that it wasn't. "Where are the Brothers of Equality, and where is my father?"

"You're among the Brothers of Equality, Johan" replied Cyneric, still smirking.

"Though one of us is a sister," added Swanhild.

"As for our uncle, we can take you to him. He is comfortable, don't worry." Swanhild said something in the singsong language and the group of guards surrounded the three companions and led them out of the hall to another location at spearpoint.

* * *

Another search party returned to the King's castle empty handed. Not a day had passed without searching for the Princess since King Gerard came personally to apologetically tell the Good King that she had disappeared without a trace. Dame Barbara was beside herself with worry, insisting that she must have been kidnapped somehow, even though Gerard had insisted that no one had access to her besides members of Princess Francesca's entourage. And Savina was not with them.

The King shook his head sadly as Count Tremaine delivered his report. A traveling troupe of actors had seen a young squire in blue riding a mare that matched the description of Savina's horse Sybilla, but he was traveling alone on his way to meet his master, not exactly the most likely candidate for kidnapping. But there was no note asking for ransom, no demands, nothing. She had simply vanished, sending the kingdom into a state of shock and mourning.

Later that day, a guard came into the throne room bearing news. A party of men bearing the standards of Lord Balthazar was making it way through the countryside. Needing a place to spend the night and food to eat, they had commandeered a peasant family's house, sending the family fleeing to the castle for safety. Both kings raced to the courtyard where the family waited, with children and what few animals and possessions they could gather before fleeing.

They did not see the Princess with the men, but their description of the commander sounded disturbingly like Prince Lothar.

"He's supposed to be dead!" said the King, gravely.

"I would not lie, my Lord, it looked exactly like the fallen prince, but he looked sick, and had an iron gauntlet on his hand. We did not look long, we ran for our lives. We've heard the rumors of what goes on in Balthazar's kingdom and did not want to find out if they were true. But I did hear then speak of going north," said the father of the family.

"You did well to come here and report this," said the King I will see to it that your family has a place to stay and is compensated for the loss of your farm.

As they walked back to the throne room, the King asked Gerard if he thought that Lothar was responsible for Savina's disappearance.

"If we had seen anyone like him, he would have been arrested immediately," said Gerard, "But if he is indeed in league with Balthazar, then he could have any number of tricks up his sleeve. And he has tried to kidnap the Princess in the past after she turned him down as a suitor. Do you think he'd go so far as to break into my castle and steal her for revenge?"

"It is a stretch, but so far he is our only suspect. And if he does have her, she is in grave danger," said the King mournfully.

"Uncle, I must return to my castle to get some affairs in order, but I insist that you let me go after Lothar to search for her. She vanished under my watch and I feel it's my responsibility to see her to safety."

* * *

Johan, Peewit and Dennis were led through the village with Maenad following behind of four paws. They went over a few bridges where canals cut through and finally got a good look at the lay of the land. The castle and main town were built on an artificial hill, with scattered houses and patches of woods around it, along with farms where cattle grazed. It was oddly peaceful for being a pirate's haven.

Finally they came to the riverbank, where a small boat waited for them. It had a cabin, and the armed men led the three aboard where another man waited. Though seated, he was tall and lanky, middle aged, with salt and pepper hair. Johan recognized him immediately. He stood with the help of a cane and limped out to meet them. Johan always remembered his father being very athletic. Was this limp something new, or the results of his injury at the hands of the Slavs? The walking stick looked to be good quality, crowned with a carved eagle head; it must be something he'd lived with for a while.

"See, safe and sound like we told you," said Cyneric.

"Johan, it _is_ you. You came," said Edelhart, moving up next to Swanhild and Cyneric.

Johan took a few eager steps forward, but then paused.

"What's going on here? I thought you were kidnapped, held prisoner. We received a ransom note!"

"Ah, that. Well you see, I _was_ kidnapped. Little did I know my kidnappers were long lost kin, and the note was sent before The Brothers realized who I was." The three looked utterly confused. "I think we owe you an explanation. Sit down."

"The people in these villages harbor runaways of all sorts. Their villages are, as you have no doubt found, very isolated; they are ruled by neither king nor lord, but a council of tribal chieftains. As a result, they attract fugitives, escaped slaves, pirates, and the like. It's a good refuge, and has been since anyone can remember," Cyneric began.

"Our mother was one of those runaways; her family had all been killed, forced into marriage with their conquerors, or sold into slavery. She was captured by our predecessors on a slave ship bound for Novgorod, and freed after she married a chieftain's son here. She never spoke about being a princess by birth; not that it matters in a place like this where royalty means nothing and people come to hide from their pasts. She could read, so everyone figured she was at least a noblewoman at some point," Continued Swanhild.

"You're saying that you mother is…"

"My sister, Ermentrude. Your aunt. You know I had many siblings who I lost when I fled England. I thought I'd never see any of them again until the ship I was on got boarded. While attempting to help the crew fight them off, I ran into my sister, looking as if she had not aged a day! It wasn't her of course, it was Swanhild. But it did take me a while to convince her and her brother once I'd been captured. I'd actually hoped it would be you who was sent to ransom me, so I could explain. Though I am truly sorry I missed your adoubement, son."

"Is Ermentrude still here?" Asked Dennis. He was fascinated by the story of the runaway princess-slave.

"No. She died some years back. Drowned in a storm surge that hit our village, along with father. Cyneric was just a young man with a little sister to support, so he joined the crew of a ship here, and we've been raiders ever since."

"That's so tragic," said Peewit, also entranced by the story. "It's the stuff that inspires ballads!"

"Not being under the rule of a king is all well and good, but why do you insist on raiding royal ships?" asked Johan, trying to process all he'd learned.

"Because Lord Fulk is trying to starve these villages out, that's why. He's the closest ruler to us and it infuriates him that we take in the serfs he abuses, and that we don't pay him any tribute. It's not like there's any riches here. These are poor people. You read the ransom note didn't you? We didn't ask for gold, we asked for food and weapons to defend ourselves with. We have to keep up a fierce reputation to scare away unwanted visitors, but we really just want to keep these villages free. If not for this refuge, Swanhild and I would have been born into slavery God knows where."

Slavery was illegal in the kingdoms where Johan, Savina, and Peewit were from, but it had only recently been outlawed in places like England, and the slave trade was alive and well in places like Scotland and the kingdom of the Rus, and in the lands controlled by the Turks and North Africans.

"I see. Is that why you've stayed here too, father? You don't seem to be a prisoner."

"No, I'm not a prisoner," Edelhart said with a chuckle. "You have no idea what a dream come true this is. I'd given up hope of ever seeing my family again. I don't have Ermentrude back, but I have her children, and that's enough. And now you're here, with your companions…" he gestured at Dennis and Peewit, and Johan realized with a bit of embarrassment that he had not introduced them.

"This is Dennis, my squire, and this is Peewit, the King's jester and my most trusted friend. And…this is Maenad," he said, rubbing Maenad's ears. She laid them back and glare at him.

"She's a fine looking bitch, do you hunt with her?" asked Cyneric. "She looks like she could take down a stag easily."

"Oh, she can, I've seen her do it." Said Peewit, skipping away from her angry gaze.

"I'm going to go let the others know that we have an honored guest, sir Johan, our long-lost cousin, and his companions," said Swanhild, hurrying off,"

I think a feast is in order, at least, as much of one as we can mange. You _will_ all come, yes?" She did not say it as a question, though speaking to Edelhart and learning the truth behind the village put Johan, Dennis, and Peewit more at ease.

"Come on, we have a lot of catching up to do," Edelhart said.


	11. Chapter 11: The Ribbon and the Eye

The Smurfs were taken by surprise when Gerard came riding into the village. He visited Clockwork often after the small automation had returned to live there with his mechanical mate, but this time Gerard was not his usual self. He had already changed from the youth who had stumbled into the village years ago into a confident young man, but this time it was obvious something was wrong by the determined expression on his face. The Smurfs were soon told the sad tale of Savina's disappearance, that Gerard had come to them for help in locating her, and to pick up Clockwork for help in the search. Papa Smurf thought that he might know of a spell to help find her more quickly, and a group of other Smurfs had agreed to join Gerard in his search: Smurfette, Brainy, and Handy.

After some wait, (which was made more pleasant by delicious pastries courtesy of Greedy,) Papa Smurf announced that he did indeed have a spell that might be able to locate the princess.

"Do you have anything that belonged to her? It could be anything, but it has to have been carried on her person."

"Sadly I don't," sighed Gerard.

"Wait, I do!" said Smurfette, and she ran to her house, returning with a pair of hair ribbons. "Savina gave me these."

"Those will work wonderfully, Smurfette!"

Papa went to the village square, produced a vial of glittering powder, and shook some on one of the ribbons. "Star anise, lodestone powder, duck's feather and dust from a crossroads," he began, "Take hold of this, and find its owner!"

The wind picked up, blowing dandelion seeds and leaves past. Papa Smurf held the ribbon high above his head and released it. It fluttered up, and was caught by the wind, which carried it higher and higher until it was gone.

"Excellent. I need to take the rest of this and place it so I can see where that ribbon ends up."

"What now, Papa Smurf," asked several Smurfs in unison.

"Now we wait. It will take time for the ribbon to find her. Please stay of you want to Gerard, we will make you comfortable as always, but be aware, this could take some time."

"If it finds Savina, I am more than willing," he said.

* * *

The feast was attended by the village Chieftain, his large family, and most of the villagers, as a gesture of generosity from the Brothers of Equality.

Though small in scale, it was a boisterous celebration. Dennis had been to feasts and celebrations in the castle as Savina, but he was quite unprepared for this. The food was simple, the drink was strong, and the songs were provided by a surprisingly talented Irish bard, who played both ballads to pull at the heartstrings and bawdy drinking songs that made Dennis blush in spite of himself. Cyneric commented that the bard would still be playing at the court of a Duke, had he not been caught philandering with the master's pretty young wife!

Johan and Edelhart caught up on their respective adventures while the Chieftain and Cyneric acted as hosts. Swanhild changed into female attire but behaved most improperly: shouting, dancing with the young men and taking bets on how many pints of ale she could balance on the cleavage created by her tight-laced corset. Maenad sat near Johan, looking at all the fun and sighing mournfully about not being able to participate, though she did get up occasionally to steal food.

Dennis was content to watch the whole thing from the table where Johan and Edelhart sat, until Swanhild ran up with a mug of cider.

"Come on, Dennis, don't be so shy. Have some fun! Your friend Peewit is enjoying himself!" It was true; he looked as happy as could be, especially around Swanhild. Dennis had seen him give similar looks to Maenad, but guessed that Peewit was too in awe of her for it to amount to anything. Since he had won the ale-balancing bet, Dennis guessed Swanhild was far less intimidating to someone like Peewit.

"I…uh…" Dennis stammered as Swanhild took his hand.

"Go on, Dennis, don't let us keep you from having a good time," added Johan with a wink. So Dennis was given the mug of cider (it turned out that when pirates said 'cider', they meant very strong alcoholic cider) and subjected to dancing with Swanhild and some of other village girls, who thought young Dennis was very fetching. Desperate to not give the wrong impression or have his secret discovered, he volunteered to go to the storehouse with Swanhild and Peewit to fetch another jug of mead.

* * *

Brewed drinks, along with most of the valuables in the village, were kept in a storehouse inside the castle's wooden palisades. It was guarded, but the guards stepped aside as soon as they saw Swanhild.

Once inside she marched straight to the mead, while Peewit and Dennis lingered to look at everything inside. As Cyneric had said, it was mostly basic provisions: food, textiles, supplies, and weapons for both seasoned warriors and peasant conscripts, though there was a small amount of actual treasure to be seen.

One item in particular drew Peewit's eye. It gleamed tantalizingly the way Dennis's ring did. He drifted to the treasure-hoard unthinkingly and reached for the shining item.

"Peewit! What do you think you're doing?" Swanhild demanded, and stomped over to him. Peewit produced a carved, painted box with iron reinforcements.

"I just wanted to look at this. I think it's magical."

"How would you know? We couldn't get it open for the life of us, though we figured it was valuable from the box it's in. But it isn't yours, so put it down. Don't forget you're here on our good graces."

"Let him have a look, Swanhild. He won't steal anything, and he has had a knack for these things lately."

Peewit examined the box, which looked very old, and fingered the painted design until one of the carved knobs sank with a click. Under it was a metal tab, which he pulled, and the box cracked open.

"Well I'll be…" breathed Swanhild. Peewit looked at her sheepishly and opened the lid. Inside was a round, fist-sized boulder with a wrinkle across one side. It was completely unimpressive given how it had been stored. Completely unimpressive to anyone with normal sight, anyway. Thanks to the guardian's touch, Peewit saw it pulse with magic. Very old fey magic. He carefully lifted it from the box, and immediately had the same sense of "knowing" he had when he had looked at the Smurfs' map. He dropped the boulder like a hot coal and leapt away.

"What's wrong, Peewit?"

"Th-that thing is dangerous! Evil! Put it back in the box, somebody!"

"Dangerous and evil? This ugly rock?"

"It's no rock," Peewit said. "It's like…it's like a saint's relic, but from a giant who lived long ago. Don't ask me how I know, but it's called the Eye of Balor, and it's a weapon. A Fairy weapon."

Dennis gingerly took the item from Swanhild and placed it back in the box, slamming the lid shut with a click. Swanhild looked at the chest thoughtfully.

"Interesting. What was it doing on that ship, I wonder? Well, it hasn't hurt anybody so far, I think it'd be best not to frighten anyone out of their high spirits tonight, but I definitely want to have you show this 'Eye of Balor' this to my brother and the Chieftain tomorrow and tell them what you just said. We may have more use for your talents."

Peewit didn't know whether to be terrified or thrilled.


	12. Chapter 12: Downtime

They spent the night in a small village house. It was wide, low building made mostly of oak posts and wattle and daub, with a thatched roof. One side was a stable for the animals; the other side was a large room for the human inhabitants. Johan, Peewit and Dennis each chose a bench that lined the walls of the simple, smoky room and laid out their bedrolls. Maenad was the only one who did not bed down; she had disappeared sometime after the feast and did not return until late at night.

She shifted to human form, and shook her companions until they were awake.

"Maenad, it's the middle of the night!"

"Hmph. This is the price you pay for having me be your dog during this family reunion of yours. Tell me everything that's going on here." Holding had a jug of wine in her hand and a plate loaded with food leftover from the feast, she pulled up a stool up to fireplace, which she had stoked up so it lit the room. It was clear she was not going to let the go back to sleep.

The three gathered around the fire with Maenad and told her about how the Brothers of Equality seemed to be actually protecting and providing for the villagers, and about how Peewit had found a mysterious relic in the storehouse that he was able to identify as a fairy weapon, though he still did not know how he was able to know this.

"You just knew it was of Fey origin all of a sudden. Interesting," Maenad commented after washing down a cut of mutton with some of her wine. "You know, it could be that the Slaves of Nerthus really did give back a gift, if you do indeed have fey blood. They are beings of the otherworld, just in a different way than the Fey are. This could be that proof you were looking for. Have you been able to identify any other kinds of magic?"

Dennis gave him a warning glance.

"Uh, no. None so far."

Maenad went on to tell them all she had learned about the village and surrounding countryside during her lupine scouting. They were several miles from an inlet, and it was from here that the Brothers seemed to base most of their activity. Humans in the village and the people who had come to settle among them spoke of a sort of embargo on them declared by the same Fulk that Cyneric had spoken of.

"I had gathered the same from speaking with my cousins," said Johan. "It's why I'm still deciding whether to take my father and go home, or stay and help these people. Piracy is an extreme step to take, but these people seem to be genuinely oppressed, and I'd like to help them if I can."

"He's always had a soft spot for this type of situation," Peewit said to Dennis. "We could tell you some stories."

"I'd just love to hear them," replied Dennis.

"Maybe some other time," replied Johan, "I'd like to get some sleep, if you feel sufficiently caught up, Maenad."

"Don't let me stop you. I also found a small wolf pack not far from here. It will take me some time to earn their trust, but at least being your pet isn't my only social option."

* * *

The next morning, Peewit and Swanhild took the chest with the Eye of Balor to the Chieftain to explain the discovery. Johan and Dennis met with Edelhart to practice. Johan wanted to smooth out some rough spots in Dennis's training, and Edelhart had some advice to give as well.

Though excited at first to be given real squire's training, Dennis quickly learned that this would be very different from brief instruction caught while sneaking away from lessons on sewing the proper dress hem. Johan was willing to take things at an easy pace, but Edelhart was more used to drilling troops on the frontier, and he not only pushed Dennis more than expected, he also had some pointers for Johan. Seated on a horse provided by the Brothers, his crippled leg was no longer such a hindrance, and he was back to the spry warrior she had heard stories about.

"Don't take so long to find the target, Dennis! If you were under a rain of enemy fire you'd have been hit by now; you have to act quickly and accurately in the heat of battle!"

It was stressful and frustrating. Dennis found out he wasn't as good a marksman under such pressure, but he soon rose to the challenge and managed speed and accuracy, jumping with excitement at his success.

_What an odd boy; he acts more like a giggling young girl than a knight in training_, Edelhart thought. Of course, while he enjoyed their company, he had to admit that all of his son's companions were a bit odd. The jester he had brought along had second sight and a singing voice that could curdle milk, and he had caught Johan's "deerhound" lapping wine out of an unguarded goblet at the feast more than once. There was something about that dog…

Training continued all that day and continued the next, leaving Dennis bruised and exhausted.

_Well, this is what you wanted! It beats being cooped up and bored, waiting to be married off for political convenience_, he thought as he stretched his sore muscles in front of the fire with Edelhart and Johan.

They were debating staying in the village or going back to the king's castle. The King would worry if they did not return soon, but both men really did want to stay and help their newfound family and their people.

"What do you think, Dennis? Should we stay? This decision affects you too, you know," Johan said, breaking Dennis's concentration. As if he had to think of the answer.

"I'd like to stay here please! …That is, if that's all right. I'm learning so much, and I did volunteer for this mission to have an adventure."

"I'm sure you'll get plenty of that; from what Johan says you've already had a bit of adventure already. Just don't get too excited to run into battle, should things come to that. You're still inexperienced."

"But you have improved splendidly," added Johan. "You've got a lot of natural talent, particularly with the bow. I couldn't have asked Gerard for a more promising squire."

"Really?" Dennis squeaked before regaining his composure. "Thank you. Thank you both, I'm honored."

"We'll have to ask Peewit how he feels about staying. Where is he, anyway?"

"I think he and Swanhild were going to hunt down Ronan the bard to see if he knows about that relic they found." Peewit had spent most of this time around Swanhild; they doubted he would object.

"I'll go find them and ask Peewit before the matter is settled," Johan said, rising. Edelhart went to follow him, but a cramp in his bad leg forced him to remain seated by the fire.

"I'll go get Peewit, Father, you can stay here with Dennis…" Johan began.

"No, wait here. Give me a minute, this is nothing. I'm fine."

"If…if you don't mind my asking, how did you hurt your leg, Sir?" Dennis asked, afraid of offending him.

"I'd like to say it was during a battle or some other exciting deed, but the truth is, it was a random accident. We had just captured an old fortress along the Vistula River after it had been first captured by one of the Pagan princes of the area. It was a complete ruin; I don't think anyone cared much about it until its location made it valuable; it was right on the border of the tribespeoples' towns and the wilderness around them. The local Princes had trouble converting and controlling these people, so a group of Knights including myself had been invited to try and make some headway," Edelhart explained for Dennis, who was less familiar with the Northern crusades.

"Anyway, the fortress was in ruins, and we were outnumbered and in hostile territory. We had done some intense fighting; the locals were better at maneuvering in dense woodland than we were. So once we had something defensible we took it upon ourselves to restore it as a proper castle. Most of the buildings were made of timber, and in the process of lifting one of the large logs for the palisade, a rope slipped and fell due to the fact that it rained constantly and there was mud everywhere. I tried to get out of the way in time, but the log caught my leg and broke it. I was laid up for weeks in that ruined fortress; helpless as an infant, even when we got attacked. It was a horrible experience."

The fire crackled and Johan and Dennis sat silently while Edelhart finished the story. Dennis couldn't help but feel for him; one of the King's most talented knights crippled after a construction accident in a mud filled ruin on the edge of nowhere. It was certainly not the glamorous knightly life he had imagined from the stories he's heard.

The wind picked up, whistling through the two doors of the simple house and making the fire flicker. Dennis felt a flutter at his neck, and brushed something away, but it caught in his fingers. In the dimming light he could see it was a tiny pink hair ribbon. It looked very familiar…but it couldn't be. It probably belonged to one of the little girls he saw playing outside earlier. Edelhart was able to stand without incident, and he, Johan and Dennis left to go find Peewit.

* * *

_Sorry this is not the most exciting chapter. The action will pick up next time, I promise!_


	13. Chapter 13: Discovery

_Some say that the fairest thing upon the dark earth is a host of horsemen, and some say a host of foot soldiers, and others again a fleet of ships, but for me it is my beloved. And it is easy to make anyone understand this..._

_- Sappho, translated by J.M. Edmonds_

Practice continued for the next several days while the Brothers of Equality raided ships, and had Peewit examine the loot with his newfound talent. The Eye of Balor remained locked in the storehouse until a better plan could be made for what to do with it. Ronan had confirmed there were indeed very old legends of a giant named Balor whose single eye could kill with a look, but its lid was so heavy it took four servants to open it. He was eventually killed by his grandson, who went on to become a High King.

Johan did not go on any of the raids, instead choosing to brainstorm with Dennis and Peewit for a way to break Fulk's blockade in a better way. Considering they had only had knowledge of part of the politics of the region, it was not an easy problem to solve.

Maenad disappeared completely, allowing Dennis to get much needed rest during his accelerated training.

"For being one of Fulk's ships, that was a particularly easy one to take," commented one of the crewmen as they unloaded a particularly good haul.

"It was a little too easy, if you asked me," commented Cyneric, glancing at Peewit, who had been called to inspect it all. "Something about it strikes me wrong. I can't put my finger on it, though. How about you, Peewit?"

There was indeed a magical item in the loot, an ugly pewter pendant in the shape of a fish wearing clerical robes, tucked inside a chest of fine linens.

"There's this," he said dangling it in his hand, "But I can't tell what it does, exactly. It looks like a badge, like a pilgrim might wear."

"Let me see," said Cyneric. "Saint Monkfish? What on earth? I've never heard of such a badge, or such a saint."

"I'm going to show it to Johan. He might know." Maenad might know too. But he didn't dare suggest she was more than a mere dog, and besides, she had gone missing.

Johan had never seen such a badge before, and neither had Edelhart, who had traveled extensively. Since it seemed to be a deliberate mockery of a Christian holy item, he suggested it be disposed of far from the village. Johan agreed that there was something subtly repulsive about the pendant and volunteered to be the one to dispose of it. Dennis and Peewit wanted to accompany him, and it was agreed that the next day they would find a good place far from the village to get rid of the blasphemous badge.

* * *

In a camp miles away, Lothar relaxed in a luxurious tent belonging to Sir Gerlach, a knight of Lord Fulk's.

"Just how long will it take the beacon to start to work?" Asked Gerlach, helping himself to a table filled with food. He was an older, balding man, and judging by his girth he had helped himself to plenty of rich food in his lifetime.

"Not long. I have the companion pendant to the Pilgrim's badge. See? It has a fish on it that will point the direction my men and I need to go," Lothar said, drawing an ugly pewter pilgrim's badge from his shirt to show Fulk. The fish on it was indeed arrow shaped, and though crudely rendered, seemed to be slowly changing direction as if swimming in a river current.

"And after your men find the place where the pirates are hiding with…whatever it is Lord Balthazar wants from them, you will send for the rest of my Lord's troops?"

Lord Fulk was an impatient, short tempered man. He was as annoyed with the vagueness of Lothar's mission as he was with having to quarter Balthazar's troops on short notice. He sent Gerlach to supervise and serve as an informant. If he had to play along with this wild goose chase, he might as well ferret out the location of the village that was harboring the pirates and those who had become dissatisfied enough with his rule to run away.

"Indeed I will. My only mission is to retrieve the item for my lord, but I will gladly lend a hand against the ruffians who have caused your lord so much distress."

* * *

Swanhild accompanied Johan, Dennis, and Peewit on their trip to dispose of the pendant. Having grown up in the area, she knew of the best places to leave a potentially evil magic pendant so that it could never be found. Much to the dismay of her three companions, this meant a journey back into the bogs, far off the beaten path. Swanhild proved to be a good guide, however, and soon they came upon an isolated pond. Dead trees and a rank smell contrasted with the greenery of the rushes and vegetation in and around the water. Ducks and a heron lazily splashed about in the humidity, oblivious to the stinging bugs that annoyed the humans. It almost seemed a shame to mar a place of such tranquility with the Saint Monkfish badge.

"Here we go. This is far enough away, I think. There's no path or roads that come this way for miles around."

Johan stood on a high bank, produced the pendant and threw it far across the water, where it fell with a plunk, frightening away a pair of ducks.

"That was easy!" exclaimed Dennis.

"Where have I heard that before…" said Peewit warily to himself.

The four decided to stay near the pond for lunch, since despite the pendant being close by; it was difficult to be too anxious on such a summer day in such a peaceful place. Even Peewit's serenade about the beauty of a summer's eve didn't sour everyone's pleasant mood. After they had eaten, Swanhild rose and dusted the dry grass from her skirts. She only wore men's clothing when she was doing "business" but kept a short sword on her hip at all times. She'd been ambushed too many times to feel safe without something, she explained.

"Are we heading back?" Asked Johan.

"Not unless you want to. I'd rather stay here where it's cool a little while longer myself. Also, I just remembered there's a stone monolith I wanted to have Peewit look at before we go. See if he can make anything of it, since nobody I know here can. Come on, Peewit." The jester was about to protest being used as a portable magic detector, but saw that Swanhild was already marching through the tall grass going north, and he rushed to follow her.

"Should we…follow them?"

"No, let them be. I have a feeling there's more going on than seeing an old rock."

Denis giggled and they sat, looking at the water for a while. Johan took out his sword and began to sharpen it, while Dennis examined the rings on his fingers. With the glamour spell on them, they appeared to be no more than plain bands of bronze, nothing ostentatious. But with her own eyes Savina saw the almond shaped gold seal ring and the band of silver with the garnet cabochon that Johan had given her earlier that summer. It seemed ages ago.

"I'm told you and Lady Maenad are an…item. Is that true, given her…condition?"

"What? No…no that's not it. I'll be honest with you Dennis, We have an…agreement and nothing more. She's just a friend."

"But you do have a Lady Love, surely?"

"No," Johan murmured, "Not now. I had…another friend, a very close one, but she's married now. You know how it is."

"Do you have anyone else in mind? I'm sure there's plenty of ladies…"

"No. I don't think I'll find one like her anytime soon."

* * *

"Johan! What is he doing here, and with the Pilgrim's badge?" Growled Lothar from the cover of reeds on the other side of the pond.

"You know this lad?" Gerlach asked. They had followed Lothar's pendant all day and night with a group of Lothar's troops.

"He is part of the reason I had to leave my kingdom."

"Him? He doesn't look a day over twenty."

"Don't underestimate him, or his friends. Especially if he's with a little swarthy curly-haired woman." Lothar didn't mention the fact that he had lost his kingdom due to a failed kidnapping and assassination attempt that Johan and Peewit had stopped.

"He's obviously is in league with the pirates, how else would he get hold of the Saint Monkfish badge? It's not like there are dozens of them swimming around!" continued Lothar.

"You make a good point. Whoever that knight is, he's trouble for us. Better do something now while they're outnumbered. Besides, I'm sick of hiding here like a coward, knee deep in sludge."

* * *

"Um, Johan, there's something I should probably tell you," Dennis said after a long pause.

"Oh? What's that?" Johan replied nonchalantly.

The crash of splashing water and shouting interrupted Dennis. Johan leapt up, sword in hand, and ran to the commotion with Dennis close behind. They were intercepted by Gerlach, Lothar, and three armed soldiers.

"You! I recognize you, and the coat of arms you're wearing! You should be dead!" Johan exclaimed, taken by surprise.

"Yes, but it seems I'm very much alive, which is more than I predict for you and your friends. We have you outnumbered; surrender would be your best choice, boy."

With that, Lothar lunged at him, sword drawn in his intact hand. Johan met him with his own sword and quickly outmaneuvered him, He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that the soldiers had captured Peewit and Dennis, with Swanhild fighting fiercely against two others who were trying to capture her. Johan started to lose ground against Lothar and Gerlach, who had drawn his sword and joined the fray. They edged closer to the water. Waist deep in reeds, Johan's feet began to slip in the mud along the pond's edge.

"We'll only give you the chance to surrender one more time! Your choice of company makes you an outlaw; if you surrender now, Lord Fulk might go easy on you!" There was rapid rustling in the reeds behind the two attackers. If it was reinforcements, Johan feared he and his froends were doomed.

Lothar and Gerlach bore down on him harder. Johan was still able to defend himself, but he was beginning to lose his footing.

Suddenly, Gelach fell face first in the mud. On his back was a huge grey and brown wolf with eyes the color of new copper coins, shining with glee. He had short legs and a broad flat head. _Another werewolf? _Johan's question was quickly answered when Maenad leapt from the reeds, and bared her teeth at Lothar with a snarl.

"Looks like she wants your other hand, traitor!" Johan chided.

Lothar shrieked and ran towards his soldiers, screeching for them to kill the wolves. Maenad, the new wolf and Johan followed him, and the attack was thrown into disarray. The soldiers were too afraid of the direwolves to do much damage to them, and to make matters worse, they lost control of Dennis, Peewit, and Swanhild, who fought their captors with renewed ferocity.

Gerlach staggered to his feet, wiped the mud from his eyes, and heard an eerie howl, answered by several more. He saw Lothar frantically trying to bring the situation back under his control. Before long, four more wolves came from the brush, all short legged and stocky like Maenad. A few of the soldiers tried to swipe at them, but they were quickly stopped by the fangs of Maenad and the copper-eyed wolf.

"Retreat! Run!" Lothar cried upon seeing the new wolves. The soldiers didn't need much convincing, especially the wounded ones. The scattered into the reeds, with only a few stragglers staying to fight. One was holding a struggling Peewit, the other was putting Dennis's newly-honed fencing skills to the test. Swanhild ran to Johan, panting.

"I'll get Peewit, you help Dennis!"

Johan nodded, and ran to his squire. Dennis paused when he saw Johan coming, and gave the soldier an opening. He lunged at him. Dennis managed to miss the sword's edge, but toppled over the steep bank in to the cool, murky water.

Johan assumed the water was shallow, and that Dennis could swim. After a few seconds, it became apparent that neither was true. Peewit and Swanhild ran up to chase the soldier away, and saw Dennis flailing and gasping, trying to get his head above water.

"Do something! She can't swim!" Peewit shouted, running to the bank. Without questioning Peewit's slip, Johan dove into the water. Maenad and the copper-eyed wolf ran to the water, as the last of the soldiers had disappeared into the marsh.

Seconds crawled along before Johan resurfaced, carrying Dennis. Or rather, someone who was dressed like Dennis. Swanhild had never seen this girl before, with pale skin and short cropped red hair. But judging by the look of complete shock on her cousin's face when he laid her on the ground, he certainly had.

"Savina? It can't be!" It had to be a trick. It had to. He took her hands in his. One hand was bare, but on the other was a silver band with a garnet cabochon. _No, not a trick. Oh, God._

* * *

_"Saint Monkfish" is a tip of the top hat to the 1987 classic steampunk novel Infernal Devices._


	14. Chapter 14: Freedom

_Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose _

_Janis Joplin, Me and Bobby McGee_

Johan stared at the girl dumbfounded until Swanhild took her from his shaking hands and began trying to revive her. A life aboard ships had made her quick to act with a near drowning man, or woman as it happened. Thankfully, the girl was soon conscious but disoriented, and coughing up water.

"Johan, who is this girl? Why was she disguised as a boy? Is this some kind of trick?"

"It's Pr- it's Savina," he murmured, gingerly supporting her as she coughed. Peewit looked like he was about to speak, and the black wolf sat near them eagerly, yellow eyed ablaze, though with what emotion, no one could tell.

"Well, who is Savina? Is she a spy?"

"She, uh, she ran away. From an arranged marriage. There's this…magic ring she had, it made her able to change appearance…" Peewit finally stammered. He could feel Maenad's eyes on them like hot coals.

"You knew this all along? And you didn't tell me?"

"She begged me not to! She knew you'd be upset, but she was going to tell you…eventually."

Maenad made an odd series of gestures with her head and ears, and raced off through the reeds in the direction of the village, leaving the other wolf behind.

"Now what? Where is the dog off to?" asked Swanhild. This day was getting stranger and stranger.

"To get help?"

"How is she going to ask anyone for help? She can't speak, and we can't move…Savina…yet."

"Peewit, go with her. Like Swanhild said, she can't speak, _remember_? I'll stay here with Savina."

* * *

Peewit was gasping for air and holding his side when he finally caught up with the werewolf, who immediately changed and began berating him for stealing her ring. Peewit wished he'd stayed back by the pond to have a mere awkward conversation with Johan.

…"And now it's lost forever! I promised I wouldn't let that ring out of my possession, did you forget, or are you just that stupid? But you had to go and take it and look what's happened! Now I'll never get another one. And another thing…"

Thankfully, the village appeared on the horizon.

"Hop on my back, Peewit, after I change."

Really? You'd let me do that?"

"It's faster and Savina needs our help. I don't want to blow my cover. Not now when there are more important things to worry about."

Peewit hopped on her back, grabbed fistfuls of fur, and then held on for dear life as she shot across the marsh towards to village…making sure to hit every low-lying tree branch, shrub and big puddle on the way, much to Peewit's terror. She loped into town and shook off with a spray of water, knocking Peewit off in the process.

"I think she might still be mad at me…" he said as He stumbled to his feet.

The strange, stout wolves patrolled the pond, keeping their distance from the humans there until the smell and distant sound of more humans caused them to scatter. Peewit trotted up riding Biquette, followed by Cyneric and some of the men from the village. They were all surprised to see Dennis was now a young lady, but carried her back, with Johan at her side, with Peewit answering the many, many questions. Johan stayed at her side, a mixture of shock and worry subduing him. He wanted to scoop her up and carry her back to the village, and get a straight answer from her himself, but he had to restrain that urge; there would be enough trouble just by her being here.

* * *

Savina was still dazed when the rescue party reached the village, and was taken immediately to the hut of the village Herbwife to be looked over. Johan and Peewit were invited to come and eat with Johan's family. Johan did so reluctantly until he was reassured that the princess was asleep and would be best left undisturbed.

"That girl you snuck here will be fine under the Herbwife's care, Johan," assured Cyneric once they were comfortably eating in a smoke-filled thatched roof hall. Maenad went round the table looking for scraps. It was really more "threatening" than "begging." Such a thing would be beneath her, even when pretending to be a pet. A moonless night lay think outside of the flicker of the torches and lamps.

"I didn't sneak her anywhere! I was as surprised as anyone to learn Dennis was really Savina…well, almost anyone." Both Johan and Maenad shot a look at Peewit, who ignored them and went on eating.

"Savina…that's her name?" Edelhart sat deep in thought, "I recall Queen Anne having a daughter by the same name; tell me that's not the same girl."

"It is." Johan couldn't lie; Queen Anne was Savina's mother and the Good King's sister.

"_Queen_ Anne? This girl is a princess?"

"Why on earth did you bring her here? Surely she didn't go with her uncle's blessing into such danger, dressed as a man?"

"I told you, I didn't bring her here, she ran away!"

"It's true, she told me herself; I only knew it was her because I saw through the spell! She was about be married against her will."

"But why did she follow you, Johan, why didn't she go to a place where she wouldn't be recognized without magic or having to pretend to be a boy, like a Free City or a convent?"

"I…I don't know. Perhaps she knew how isolated this place we were going was, and wanted to disappear here. This _is_ a place where royalty doesn't matter, if I recall." On second thought, he could lie just a _little_.

"We have to take her back," said Edelhart. "Her uncle will have sent out search parties. He loved her like a father after her parents died, and she is his only heir now. And as I recall, her governess was that harpy Dame Barbara. She'll find some way to put the blame for all this on you, you know. She's done it before, and you have far less claim to innocence than I did."

"My uncle is right; it's all well and good that she wanted to join our fellow runaways here, but if she is indeed the only heir to a kingdom, she'll endanger all of us if word of her gets out. Fulk would leap at the opportunity to 'rescue' her."

Johan and Peewit both agreed with heavy hearts. The best they could do now was damage control, and claim innocence of any wrongdoing by reason of magical trickery.

"Will you come with us, father? It's you we came for, and I'm sure the King will be happy to see you again."

"I think I would like that, if it's all right with Cyneric and Swanhild."

"You're welcome to come or go as you please, uncle. But you will always be welcome as a kinsman among our people, as will you, Johan and Peewit."

* * *

Despite the late hour, Johan asked the Herbwife to see Savina as soon as she was awake. The plump, middle aged woman only spoke the odd dialect of all the residents of the marshes, and Johan ended up resorting to his father's native tongue to make himself understood, as it was somewhat more intelligible to her. She agreed, and let him into her hut, staying outside the door to keep an eye on them.

Savina sat on a bed of stuffed straw, eating some kind of soup from a wooden bowl. The cottage was small and lit only by a fire in the central hearth. Bundles of herbs hung from the ceiling, giving the room an aromatic smell.

She heard the door creak, and turned. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Johan, and she quickly looked down at the borrowed dress that she wore.

"Did you have to cut off all your hair?" She didn't answer him. He sat down next to her.

"Why didn't you tell me, Savina?" Johan used the language of their homeland, knowing that the Herbwife was listening in.

"I knew you'd send me away. I knew you'd be angry about me taking such a risk. But I really was going to tell you."

"I couldn't be angry with you. Not for very long. But you did put all of us in a lot of danger by doing this. How are we going to explain this all to the King? To Gerard? To Dame Barbara?"

"I wasn't planning on going back. I…I never thought about it. I've really made a mess of everything, haven't I?" She bit her lower lip and tried to fight back tears. All her well laid plans weren't so well laid after all.

"It's all right, it's all right. We're going to take you back, and everything will be fine. My father is coming with, he can explain…"

"No it won't," she said, looking him in the eyes for the first time, "I did all this because I wanted to be with you, and now that can't happen. It was all for nothing."

"We _were_ together; I just wish you'd have been more honest with me. You could have at least let me know after Peewit found out. I could have kept you safe."

"I actually liked not being safe," She said, giving a small grin. "Nobody treated me like a helpless girl, and I got to learn all the things from you that I was never allowed to learn back home. Well, except for swimming."

"I can still teach you a few things on the way home, you know. I don't Peewit or Father will mind. It'll be better knowing it's you this time."

The Herbwife made impatient noises outside her door.

"I should go. Good night, Princess."

"Please don't call me that. Royalty doesn't count here, remember? I'm no more a princess here than you are a prince. Let's just be a boy and a girl while we're here."

"All right," he said, squeezing her hand before he left.

* * *

_I've been getting questions regarding the names of characters. As some of you might have guessed, some of them come from the original Johan et Pirlouit comic books. I am using a cherry-picked version of the cartoon series as my canon, and this is my way of merging both mediums._

_I'll be honest and say that many of the names I found thanks to Wikipedia and because the sound/meaning of them appealed to me. Fulk, for example, was the name of a real person, but his name also sounds like another four letter word you'd say if you were angry at something ;)_

_Cyneric means "King's Friend" and Swanhild means "Battle Swan." I actually don't know that much about the Crusades, which is partly why I chose the lesser known Northern Crusades (A 12th-13th century attempt to convert and colonize the pagans of Northeastern Europe) for Edelhart's adventures._

_Nerthus was a real Germanic goddess whose worship was described by the Roman historian Tacitus around 98 A.D._


	15. Chapter 15: Sabotage

A storm was rolling in, catching King Gerard and his men by surprise. They had been pursuing the Princess using a strange spell only Gerard seemed to understand, far north and east, until they had come to edge of the marshes and entered the land of Lord Fulk. Dark clouds loomed in the west, and the wind picked up considerably. Not wanting to risk camping in this flood-prone region, they searched frantically until they came upon a half-completed castle.

The castle sat on a high hill overlooking the countryside. A small work village surrounded it. It was a very new castle, built for heavy defense, judging by the looming, monolithic appearance of it. Gerard sent a page to inform the lord of the castle that he sought shelter from the storm. The page soon returned with greetings from the Lord, a knight by the name of Sir Gerlach.

As the king and his men approached, they were struck by the craftsmen who were working on the castle. All had a ragged, lean look to them, and there seemed to be a disproportionate number of adult men. Shouldn't a new town like this be attracting families of servants, merchants and craftsmen, not to mention peasant families, or at least camp followers if this was a military installation? Gerard held the pink ribbon up for one last look at the direction his cousin had gone. It fluttered against the storm's increasing winds.

"We'll go in that direction as soon as we've waited out the storm," he told his men as they entered the gate. The walls were massively thick, bristling with guards, and beyond the first gate lay four more, along with portcullis, murder holes, and other signs that this was a castle built in anticipation of some conflict. Sir Gerlach was not available to greet them, but instead, his seneschal met them at the final gate. Welcoming them and explaining that his lord had just returned from a small skirmish, but was very excited to have a royal guest in his home.

That evening, as the rain fell, Gerlach held a feast for Gerard and his men. The great hall of the castle was conspicuously empty, with only Gerlach and a few other knights in attendance besides the servants serving the food.

"What brings you to our home, your highness? It's not often that we have such esteemed travelers in these parts."

"I'm searching for my cousin, the Princess Savina, if you must know. She was kidnapped from my castle some weeks ago, just as we were making preparations for her wedding. I've been searching for her ever since."

"Kidnapped before her wedding? How terrible! Do you have any idea who would do such a thing? Perhaps a jealous suitor?"

"I have no idea, and that's what's so troubling. The only person unaccounted for on the night she vanished was a young man named Dennis, who no one has seen or heard of before or since."

"And you think this Dennis brought her here? But why?"

"I don't know. I've got some…special tracking techniques, and those have led me here. One of my Uncle's knights came this way a month or so ago. Sir Johan is his name. I don't know if he knows this Dennis person, but I was hoping to have him join my search."

Gerlach's eyebrows went up at the name. That was the same lad with the wolves who had humiliated them in the marshes. And he was indeed with a young man he called Dennis. Very interesting!

"I think I may be able to help you in your search, your majesty. Do you know why we are building fortifications here, at the edge of civilization?" Gerlach asked, helping himself to another whole roast duck.

"Why no, but I am impressed by how…dense it is."

"This castle is part of a system of defense my Lord Fulk has implemented to control the people in these swamps. There are whole villages of criminal scum hidden away in the marshes. They harbor fugitives, engage in piracy, steal everything they can get their hands on, including serfs. They've been getting away with it for years, too."

"Hmmm. Sir Johan was in search of some pirates in these parts...They kidnapped his father."

"With military outposts on the border, we can finally flush them out of their nests and bring them to justice. I suspect this Dennis may be hiding with Sir Johan among these people. Your cousin the princess may be there, too, if Dennis did indeed steal her."

"That's impossible. Johan is one of the most honest, loyal people I've ever met. He's the last person I would suspect of sheltering Savina's kidnapper and associating with criminals. Unless there was some other explanation!"

"I'm afraid I have seen Sir Johan and Dennis together in the swamps. They were with a dark-haired village girl, and not your cousin, but they were fighting my men together when we tried to approach them. Sir Johan wore the black and white chevron of the Good King, and Dennis was dressed in blue. Both are beardless youths not much older than yourself. As I recall there was a blonde dwarf there as well.

"Are you positive this boy in blue was named Dennis?"

"I heard Johan call Dennis by name. Which is why I thought it best to warn you. I do not mean to offend you or speak ill of a trusted knight, of course."

"No…of course not. No offense has been taken. But there must be some other explanation…"

"I certainly hope so, Highness."

"You say this outpost is made to defend the border, is that why there are not many women or children here, because it's intended for soldiers and not settlers?"

"Soldiers? Oh, we will have those soon enough. The men you see are conscripts. My Lord Fulk requires they leave their families in his villages and sends them marching here to build the border castles when he doesn't need them to be doing other work. Fortifications go up so much faster this way. Would you believe that where you sit is the fruit on only five years' labor?"

Conscripts. Forced labor; that explained it. No wonder the workers looked so lean and ragged, and had no families with them. It was a common practice, to be sure, but not one Gerard liked or used. He preferred to earn his peoples' loyalty by treating them fairly. All for fortifying a countryside against hidden villages where Johan, Peewit, Maenad and possibly Savina were hiding, or being held. Something didn't make sense.

* * *

Gerard excused himself from the table after the feast was over and went to the chambers prepared for him. Judging by the luxurious yet unfinished nature of them, they seem to be built for the Lady of the castle, when and if she arrived. Clockwork Smurf, his mate Clockwork Smurfette, Papa Smurf and Handy Smurf were waiting for him. The storm was blowing at full force outside, rattling the lead and glass of the windows. Lightning flashed, briefly blinding them.

"Did you learn anything from the humans here, King Gerard?" Papa asked.

"I have, but what I've learned troubles me. The Knight who rules this castle says he saw Johan, Peewit and Dennis in the marshes with some fugitives, fighting side by side with one of them. But he didn't see Savina."

"Johan left with Peewit and Maenad to find the pirates who kidnapped his father. You're not suggesting he joined them for some reason?"

"I don't know. That's what it sounds like, but I don't know. This Sir Gerlach seems to be telling the truth, but I don't entirely trust him. I don't like how he treats his people like slaves, whether they're on loan from his Lord or not."

Clockwork made a series of gestures and whirring sounds.

"Exactly," Gerard said, "Why would Johan be in on Savina's kidnapping; he's risked his life to protect her; Peewit too."

"But the ribbon spell has led us to exactly where Johan, Peewit and Maenad went. Maybe Savina escaped, and sought them out. Maybe they all ended up getting kidnapped. It is very troubling. Very, very troubling." added Papa.

"Something about this whole thing doesn't add up. If only I knew who to trust in this place."

* * *

Gerlach went to the servants' rooms, where Lothar hid to avoid being recognized by King Gerard.

"So he's looking for his cousin, the lovely princess," Lothar said, half to himself. "That certainly sweetens the deal when we find that village of swamp rats and my Lord's…whatever it is."

"So long as we don't get a repeat performance of last time…" Gerlach added. He blamed Lothar's terror of the wolf pack for their embarrassing defeat at the hands of children.

Lothar put more oil on his mechanical arm and shifted painfully. Gerlach's verbal jabs were nothing compared to the searing pain that shot from the magical gauntlet as soon as the presence with it informed Balthazar of his failure to retrieve the object when they had gotten so close. That it had gotten wet and pitted with rust only made if feel more like the prisoner's shackle it truly was.

"That won't happen again, because I have a plan. We know Johan and Peewit and their pet are with the marsh fugitives. We now know the princess was kidnapped by a youth named Dennis, who is with them. What we need to do is convince King Gerard that Johan and Peewit were in on the kidnapping. That going to the marsh pirates was all in the plan to take her, before she could be married to Prince What's-his-name. He's young and naïve; he's been fooled several times by his relatives trying to usurp his throne." Lothar flexed the metal glove, the leather and iron creaking. Thunder rumbled in the background.

"I see! And as soon as we have convinced him to go into the marshes after his cousin, he will lead us right into the pirates' den, where the object is!"

"If the princess is there, she'll welcome her cousin, they won't suspect a thing. And if not, well, we still will have the object, and the criminals."


	16. Chapter 16: Forlorn Hope

Black clouds gathered in the west. The air eerily was still, sending the villagers into a flurry of activity, securing children, property and animals before the storm struck. Savina's return home would have to wait until all danger had passed.

"You should be safe here; the people who built this town did so on an artificial hill, to protect it from most floods and storm surges centuries ago," Cyneric said to his uncle and Savina as he left the cottage they had been staying in. He, Swanhild, and their crew were on their way to wherever the larger ships were kept. They especially would need to be secured against any storm's fury.

_The way he says "most floods" is not particularly comforting_, Edelhart thought, remembering that such a storm surge had killed his sister and her husband, though he did not know the details.

"I want to come help," Savina said, rising to follow Swanhild.

"Absolutely not. You're not going to run away a second time," said Edelhart, moving between her and the door. "Do you even know anything about ship life?"

Savina sunk her shoulders in defeat. He was right, she'd only be in the way.

"I just want to be helpful. I've been cooped up recovering for three days now."

"You could go help the villagers drive their animals to shelter, like Johan and Peewit are doing. But I cannot let you on any ships! It's unsafe with a storm coming, and I'm sorry, but I don't trust you not to run."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. For someone who hated Dame Barbara so much, he sure was acting a lot like her. At least he was genuinely interested in her safety and not in her being a proper Lady; he didn't care if she were up to her knees in mud driving cattle with young men, so long as she could be delivered back home safe and sound.

"Or you can stay here with me. It's up to you." He hobbled to the hearth and threw another log on.

Savina pulled the boots she wore as Dennis and left. Combined with her man-short hair, she was an odd sight. Most of the people here went barefoot in the summer, but Savina's feet were tender from a lifetime spent in tailor-made slippers and boots. It was yet another irritating reminder of her sheltered upbringing. As she splashed through the streets, she watched the people rush to prepare for the storm. A young man had paused to flirt with a barefoot girl holding a fat chicken. Savina frowned and pressed on. She had only a few days of freedom left, only a few days left with her friends and especially Johan; she was not going to spend them sitting inside a cottage being helpless.

Edelhart secured the doors and shuttered the single window covered in oiled hide. He brought in some firewood before his leg began to hurt and he rested on one of the long benches, drifting off into sleep.

* * *

He awoke not to the rumble of thunder or the rush of wind bringing the storm ever closer, but to the rattle of food being prepared. He sat up with a start, grabbing his broadsword instinctively. A small figure crouched in front of a clay pot sitting directly in the fire of the hearth, obscured in shadows. Frizzy black hair was pulled into a coiled braid on the crown of the man's head. Or at least, it appeared to be a man, judging by his clothing.

"Who goes there?" He demanded, rising; hand still on the hilt of his sword. The man ate a few more spoonfuls of cheese pottage, and slowly turned, head bowed, hands raised.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to eat and leave." _A woman's voice!_

"You didn't tell me who you are, and why you are here stealing."

He took a step toward her. She crouched into a defensive stance, hand on the hilt of her own small sword, and looked at him with panicked yellow eyes. Edelhart froze mid motion, speechless. He had seen men with those eyes before, in the North, before he was injured. Brutal, inhuman shock troops, they could change into wolves at will and shake off injuries that would kill a seasoned knight. He had seen them spread terror though his army, taking heads to present to their leaders as trophies. What did some of the men call them? Forlorn Hope.

Maenad frantically thought of a means of escape while Edelhart sized her up. She took her hand off her sword hilt; there was no way she could defeat him that way. As a wolf, she could kill him with little effort; he was a crippled old man, after all. But he was also her friend's father. The look of shock and the smell of fear and anger told her he knew what she was.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said, slinking to the door.

"Just like a demon to lie," Edelhart growled, lunging at her, sword drawn. She shifted in the space of a heartbeat, just missing the sweep of his blade.

_Damn, my cover's blown, too! Why did the one person in this whole wretched village who would have seen werewolves have to find me? _

Edelhart wobbled, regaining his balance and preparing for another strike. This was her chance. She lunged at him, aiming low, and knocked him to the ground. She ran, claws tearing up the dirt floor and knocking a stool across the door. Edelhart struggled to his feet and tried to follow her, but she vanished into the growing shadows. The wind blew fiercely, carrying her scent away with it.

That black wolf - black dog – that was Johan's dog! Did he know she was a werewolf? First Savina, now this…thing. His son was either a fool or not being truthful about all these shapeshifting women in his company. Perhaps there was an explanation. There had better be an explanation! Best not to alert the already worked-up villagers about a semi-mythical threat until he got it. The storm would be here soon; he had better go fetch the youths.

* * *

Maenad found Peewit astride Biquette driving a herd of sheep to a cottage, singing off key as usual. The sheep seemed eager to get away from the terrible noises and safely into their pen. She loped towards him and grabbed his shoe with her teeth.

"Hey, stop it! Bad dog! Can't you see I'm busy?" Maenad snarled and bared her teeth. Briquette started bucking and rearing.

"Fine, fine! What do you want?" She gestured for him to follow, and they ran into the stable after the sheep.

"Johan's old man found me eating in the cottage," she told him, panting as soon as they were enveloped by darkness.

"So? You could tell him you're a village girl."

Her eyes blazed in the dark. "Like this? No, he's fought werewolves before. I've seen soldiers react that way before. He knows, Peewit. I have to find Johan and Savina, and hide, before he convinces the whole village to hunt me down."

"You're overreacting, Maenad…right?" Peewit asked skeptically.

"The pack. I could go to them. I'll have to lie low first, don't want to endanger them, not with…well, I promised to keep them hidden."

"You mean the wolves you were with when you rescued us from Lothar and his men?" Maenad had been strangely silent when they questioned her about the mysterious wolves, and he had decided not to press her about the matter. He had promised the Smurfs to keep them a secret, after all.

The werewolf ignored him and shifted back to four paws. She sniffed the wind and scurried out of the cottage stable, leaving Peewit bewildered and worried.


	17. Chapter 17: The Messenger

Gerard couldn't sleep. His mission has just become infinitely more troubling than being responsible for finding his cousin. It seemed two of his most trusted friends were involved in an elaborate plot to kidnap her, though he was at a complete loss as to why they would do such a thing. His Smurf companions denied that this could be true; pointing out that there was no apparent reason to commit a serious crime or put the Princess in serious danger. They had argued about it into the night.

He decided to take a walk to the castle's chapel to clear his thoughts. He asked Clockwork to come with; Gerard hated being alone after a childhood of neglect and imprisonment. The castle was silent, for the most part. Rain pounded on the roofs and ran down the cisterns and gutters, drowning out most noise. The guards would not be on high alert tonight; no one would be foolish enough to be out and about.

The chapel was usually abandoned in broad daylight, as no one in the estate seemed very pious. Still, it was peaceful, boasting a lovely statue of the Blessed Virgin and Child and glass windows.

It should have been empty, but it wasn't. A tall woman in a wimple stood before the statue, waving her fingers across what looked like a square black mirror. There was a burning white stick in her mouth, filling the air with pungent smoke. Clockwork began clicking and gesturing wildly. Gerard took him in his hands and cleared his throat.

She spun around wide-eyed, then quickly hid the mirror in a pack by her side. Judging by the fine cloth and cut of her dress, she was perhaps a minor noblewoman, but Clockwork was right, there was something _wrong_ about her. Women were rare enough in this castle, much less well-dressed noblewomen.

"I'm sorry, I thought everyone was asleep. Do you live here?"

"Me? Uh, no. I'm a visitor. Unofficial visitor. On the down low, y'know?" The woman took the stick from her mouth and stared at it nervously.

"I know what's low?" Her answer made no sense. Clockwork eyed her suspiciously.

"Where are you from, then?"

"Oh," she laughed nervously, "that's complicated. I'm from another country, far away. You've probably never heard of it." She put the stick back in her mouth, and pulled her bag close to her, fiddling with the ties on it.

"Who might you be? You're not the Lord of this place, are you?"

"No…no I'm also a visitor. Don't you know who I am?"

"Not a clue, mate. Should I? You look all swanky, but you're just a kid."

Gerard was taken by surprise. Foreign or not, most people wouldn't dream of being so disrespectful when addressing him. _Just a kid?_

"I'm King Gerard the First, and I rule a kingdom south of here. I…don't believe I caught your name, Lady…"

"Gerard the fir….Oh! Oh yes, but you're so young now!" she laughed again. It was starting to irritate Gerard.

"Mesa. Mesa Ryu." Rather than curtsey or show any embarassment for being so informal before a king, she blew a puff of smoke to the side presented a hand, like a man showing he was unarmed.

Gerard hesitated, then clasped her hand politely as possible.

"And that's your little robot friend. Yes, I've heard of you. Amazing!" she moved in for a closer look at Clockwork.

"I don't believe you stated your business here, Lady Mesa Ryu…"

"I'm a student. Doing research. You never said what you were doing here, either."

"I...shouldn't have to explain my business, but since you asked, I'm only here so long as this storm lasts. I'm looking for my cousin, the Princess Savina. You're a traveler, you haven't heard anything of a red-headed woman accompanied by a brown haired squire, have you?"

It was worth a try asking. He was desperate for news of Savina that didn't come from the shady characters who ruled this land, even if it was from this bizarre person.

"Can't say I have, mate. But I haven't been here for long, and I don't plan to stay. Just here to do my research, y'know?"

"I…suppose?"

Mesa leaned against a column, deep in thought.

"Savina…Oh, her! Yes! I know about her. You're going to want to go get her. Before your pals here do."

"What do you know about the men here?"

"Just that you can't trust them. They're bullshitting you. There's war brewing."

"How do you know that?"

"Can't say. Not allowed. But you need to leave as soon as you can. Go get your cousin, but don't take them."

Clockwork clicked and pointed at her. She looked at him eagerly.

"He wants to know why we've never seen you before, and why you called him a 'robot," Gerard said.

"I called him that, because that's what he is. It's like, what we call them in my language, y'know? And I already told you, I'm not here to stay. I've got work to do."

"With all due respect, you're not making much sense, and the things you say that do make sense are rather shocking."

"Well, you don't have to trust me. But I wouldn't recommend trusting these dudes. Not at all. Someone else is pulling the strings here, mark my word. Lots of interesting stuff going on right now."

Mesa hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and disappeared around a corner. Lightning flashed, momentarily filling the room with light. Clockwork hopped from Gerard's hand. Gerard grabbed a torch from a scone and they both followed her, only to find an empty alcove and the smoldering end of the white stick on the floor.

* * *

The rain continued to fall steadily the following morning. Gerard told the rest of the Smurfs about his strange encounter the night before.

"No, I've never heard of a Sorceress called Mesa Ryu. Or _robots_ or _dudes_, for that matter. Very peculiar!"

"She kept asking me if we knew things, but she said she couldn't tell me how she knew the things she knew. I've never met anyone so strange, not even Maenad."

"But do you trust her?" Asked Papa Smurf. He didn't know if he would trust such her, especially since she probably _was_ a sorceress. But he knew Gerard couldn't trust Gerlach at all.

"Hmm. Consider this. She appeared in the chapel. Maybe she was sent?"

"Given her foul language, I doubt that very much."

"Would you rather accept Gerlach's version of what's going on?"

"No. No, in my heart I believe our friends are innocent of wrongdoing. Something else has to be going on. Has the ribbon found her yet?"

"We need to check. If it has, we can leave as soon as possible."


	18. Chapter 18: The Storm

_Heigh ho! Who is there?  
No one but me, my dear.  
Please come say, how do?  
The things I'll give to you.  
A stroke as gentle as a feather  
I'll catch a rainbow from the sky  
and tie the ends together._

_-Willow's Song*_

Peewit searched the village mound for Johan, only to find him gathering fruit from a grove of trees with Savina and a group of villagers. They wanted to get as much of the first harvest in before the storm blew it away or damaged the trees.

"Johan, I need to talk to you!" he screeched as he rode into the trees. Johan swung down from a branch and landed gracefully on his feet. Savina considered following his lead, but reconsidered and climbed down the ladder.

"What's wrong, Peewit?"

"Come back with me to the cottage and I'll explain. It's about your father."

They apologized to the others for having to abandon their work, and agreed to carry some baskets of cherries back to the village.

"He recognized Maenad? Are you sure?"

"She seemed pretty sure. Then she ran off, talking about 'the pack' whatever that means. Hey! Do you think it could be those other wolves?"

"We'll worry about that later, I have to go tell father what's really going on, if I can," Johan said, handing his baskets to Peewit, and running down the trail.

"I'm going with," said Savina, handing Peewit her two baskets.

"Later? Hey! Wait!" Biquette bleated, almost a laughing sound.

* * *

Johan raced through the village's muddy streets, praying his father wasn't alerting the people about a werewolf in their midst. He was near the entrance to a woodshed, when an arm reached out to pull him in. It was Edelhart.

"That dog of yours is a monster! Surely you knew this? What in heaven's do you think you're doing, associating with such a creature? I've seen them up in the north, what they do!"

"She's not…she _is_ a werewolf, but she's an ally! You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"An ally? Surely the King didn't seek her out?"

"No, the King trusts her, she's not like the others…"

"I'm his servant." Interrupted Maenad, gruffly, standing at the entrance to the shed.

"Servant?"

"I was taken his prisoner. He could have executed me, but spared me in exchange for my servitude. The king sent me with your son to retrieve you."

"Is this true, Johan?"

"She is here on the King's orders, yes."

"And you're sure she can be trusted…"

"I know she can be trusted. Ask Savina and Peewit."

Edelhart eyed her with continued suspicion, but did not make a move against her. Maenad bowed deeply and followed the two men outside, into the rain.

* * *

They all settled down into their cottage. Tension hung in the air like the balck clouds outside. Edelhart wouldn't take his eyes off Maenad. He believed her story, but he clearly did not trust her. He sat by the door hand ready at his sword, while she went about eating and drinking and relishing being able to spend the storm on two legs. Peewit tried to break the tension by telling awful jokes and playing his bagpipes, which he had snuck along in his pack. Johan and Savina sat miserably watching and listening.

Eventually, Peewit ran out of "songs" to play and Edelhart let his guard down enough to get some sleep. The four moved close around the fire.

"You said there was a 'pack,' you mean those wolves you were with at the pond?" Peewit asked, helping himself to some pottage.

"Yes. Those are the wolves I mentioned. But you cannot tell anyone about them. I promised I'd keep them safe if they helped you. They're a special pack. I do not want to betray them."

"What makes them so special?"

"They just are."

"Will they be all right in the storm?"

"They should be. It's you humans who are the threat to them." She glanced at Edelhart with narrowed eyes.

"I think…it'd be better for me to go back to them when this rain lets up. Which by the smell of things won't be for a while."

* * *

The rain pounded on the thatched roof of the cottage and the wind blew fiercely all night, rattling the door and single shutter. Thunder crashed outside, while the embers of the fire provided faint light inside.

"Maenad?" A small, soft voice called. Maenad lay covered by a rough homespun blanket next to Savina. Her hands and feet twitched rhythmically, she was dreaming. Savina rose quietly and went to Johan's bench across the room. He had a look of concern on his face. _Did I cause all his troubles?_ she wondered, laying her head on the bench and brushing her hand across his cheek. The beginning of a goatee was starting to show on his chin. She gently kissed him. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"Everyone's asleep. The thunder woke me up." Johan sat up groggily and put his arms around her as she sat down next to him.

"They need to rest up. As soon as this storm breaks, we will need to return to the King's castle." There was a twinge of regret in his voice.

"Maenad says the storm will last for a long time."

"How would she know? And I don't want to think about Maenad right now. I'd rather just look at you, my dear."

"No you don't. I look terrible, like I've been working in the fields all day."

"No, don't say that. I've always thought you were most beautiful with your hair loose, riding and fencing." Savina beamed, then kissed him again, on the mouth, on the cheek, on the neck…

_Mrrrroww…_

The both looked up to see a large cat, sitting in front of the fire. Her fur was tan, flecked with gold. Despite the only light coming from embers in the hearth, her fur shone as if sunlight shone through the leaves of a deep forest, and her ears were tufted like a wildcat, though she was clearly tame. The cat looked at them with half closed eyes, looking content as only a cat can. But there was something vaguely more than cat-like about her. Something in the eyes, and the shimmer of her fur.

"Where did that cat come from?"

"Probably hid herself here before the storm."

The cat looked around the room, then back at the two, and began to purr.

One of their companions began to snore loudly, and Peewit shifted in his sleep, still clutching his bagpipes, letting out a teeth-grinding squeak.

Without uttering a word, Johan gathered up their bedding and gestured to the door to the stable, to the hayloft, where it was dark and silent, save for the patter of rain on the roof.

The cat waited for a while by the hearth after the two left the room, then calmly strode outside, disappearing into the storm.

* * *

***Should you decide to look up Willow's Song, beware, some of the cover versions are based on the badly butchered movie version. For the complete song, look up the one from the Wicker Man OST. It's based on actual bawdy Elizabethan songs :D**


	19. Chapter 19: Servants

It rained nonstop for three days. Fallen trees, damaged buildings, and signs of flash flooding littered the countryside as Gerard and his men rode from Sir Gerlach's strange and dreary castle. The Smurfs had determined which direction Savina had been taken, and forged ahead of the humans. This would keep them out of sight and also alert the much less maneuverable mounted humans to any obstacles in the way, and there were plenty. A swollen river had washed out a bridge, causing the humans to have to ford the river at a narrower spot. This was still dangerous due to the stronger current, and several men were almost washed away, horses and all. As the penetrated deeper and deeper into the swamps, it became apparent that the wetlands had been completely submerged, and the only way to cross them would be by boat.

They set up camp for the night on a levee, while a few of the men went to try and procure a boat from local peasants; if there were any to be found.

"How are we going to get to the Princess now, Your Highness?"

"If necessary, I'll go with just a handful of you, and the Clockwork Smurfs, of course. I don't want to risk any lives unnecessarily."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? With all due respect, What if there's danger? We can't risk you, either. Wouldn't it be more prudent to wait for the waters to go down?"

Gerard thought deeply for a few minutes. "No, I think it's wiser to find her quickly. I have a…suspicion that she is in greater danger if we wait."

"But are you sure you want to go in yourself? If anything should happen to one of us, it won't affect the kingdom like losing you would; at least think of that, think of Princess Francesca."

"I've thought of that, and I've made my mind up. It's my fault Savina went missing ultimately, and so I take it upon myself to rescue her from whatever danger she may be in, and I don't want the guilt of losing any more of my people. I'll have messengers, if anything happens, I will send for you.

"If we don't hear from you in two days, we will come looking for you."

"Fair enough. We'll met back up here in two days. With the Princess."

* * *

"So he's left without us, then."

Lothar and Gerlach stood on the castle ramparts and watched Gerard and his retinue cross the waterlogged castle grounds.

"He has. I tried my best to convince him that Johan and Peewit were actually scoundrels in league with Dennis, but he had a change of heart, it seems. He's like you said, weak willed and gullible."

"Well, Let's ready our men. By the time our troops are ready, the Boy King should be far enough ahead to not notice us trailing him."

"And he doesn't suspect us of following him?"

"No; I told him I was going to be personally overseeing the commission of tapestries for the main hall in Flanders."

"Excellent. We must not fail this time. Even if we have to destroy the village, we must get my Master's item. Instruct your men not to hold back this time, no matter who gets in the way. These people are all criminals. Show no mercy."

The two men continued to discuss their battle plans and pace the ramparts. Servants scurried out of their way, lest they be given even more work. This was normal, and so it was not noticed when one of them slipped through the gates and across the fields into the forests, to warn his Brothers.

* * *

There was little to do in a cramped cottage as the storm raged into the following day, and to break the tension that continued between Edelhart and Meanad, Johan and Savina practiced fencing as much as possible, with Maenad occasionally joining in.

Peewit tried to cheer everyone up with a juggling act.

"I don't think there's enough room for that, Peewit."

"Nonsense, I've done this inside a carriage, there's _plenty_ of room." As Peewit juggled he sang, distracting everyone from his juggling until one of the plums he was juggling bounced off a water jug, tipping it off the table where it fell with a crash.

"Wait, I can do this!" another plum winged Edelhart and hit Maenad on the side of the head.

"Peewit, you're doing more damage with plums than we are with swords!" Johan scolded as Maenad stalked towards him, looking as if she was going to physically throw him out the door.

"You know what? I just remembered there's another water jug in the storehouse! I should go get it!" and with that he was out the door.

Soaked and muddy, Peewit wrung his hair out in the storehouse. He saw where there was an empty jug, but was in no hurry to get it. Better lie low for a while until his friends cooled down. Confinement was making them testy. He searched the dimly lit room, until he found a sausage and some cheese to smack on. He had a seat on a wooden chest and ate in silence.

"I wish Swanhild were here," he said to himself. She was not, and would not be coming. Unfortunately for him, Swanhild was not as eager to shirk her duties to go sneaking off as Savina was.

A broom handle fell in the darkness. Peewit jumped, holding the sausage like a club.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

_Mrrrrow?_

A large golden wildcat strutted into a dim shaft of light let in by the door. Bright golden eyes met his, and suddenly peewit was aware this was no ordinary cat, even for a wildcat. For when his second sight took over, he saw that this cat radiated power. Golden tendrils of light flowed from her like incense smoke. A ring of it shone like stars around the cat's neck.

She looked at him unafraid, and strutted off into the darkness. Still clutching the half-eaten sausage, Peewit followed her. Her fur was golden-tan and rippled with light as she moved silently to where the more valuable items were kept. Finally she stopped at a carved wooden chest. Peewit recognized it; it was the Eye of Balor. The cat leapt with a dancer's grace onto the table where it sat, and then on the chest itself. The golden tendrils continued to drift away from her, and she looked at him with a vaguely human expression. A lady's voice, smooth as silk, rippled in his mind.

_Four servants, Lutin's son. Call them and I will lend them to you._

"….what?..."

But the cat did not answer. Instead, she flickered out like a candle. Peewit searched the storehouse for her before taking the water jug back to the cottage. The rain continued to fall.


	20. Chapter 20: Hostage

"There's an army on the way!" a voice pierced the mist of early morning, alerting the town of impending danger. Johan, Savina and Peewit were helping to replace some thatch that had blown off a longhouse in the storm. Johan leapt ffrom the roof to where Peewit and Savina were trying bundles when the news reached them.

"The Brothers haven't returned…" murmured the foreman helping the cleanup efforts. His voice was tense with worry. "We have to alert the chieftain."

"I'll fetch my father and Maenad and we'll meet you in the main hall," Johan said

The hall was crowded with villagers when the five friends arrived. The runner, dressed as a ragged castle servant was describing the size of the army, and how it was dangerously close to their village, led by one of Fulk's knights and a lieutenant with a mechanical arm.

"Why is he dressed like that?" asked Savina.

"We put spies wherever we can to stay a step ahead of our enemies," replied a village woman.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"It is, but they are proud to face that danger to act as the eyes and ears of our people," the woman replied.

More voices rose.

"I'll go to warn the Brothers, how close are Fulk's men?"

"Can they get here in time?"

"We can help you defend yourselves; I've helped defend villages from ruffians before." That was Johan.

"Two knights against an army? When one is an old man, and one is barely old enough to wear spurs?"

"Watch who you call an old man, boy…"

A cacophony of voices made it difficult to make out what was said next. But the villagers were right, even though the underestimated her friends, they would have little chance of fighting an army. Savina used to chaos to slip out of the hall back to their lodgings where she found her sword and the clothes she'd worn as Dennis. Johan and edelhart would need a squire. She would fight by their side, and she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

* * *

"No. Absolutely not." She rode up to where Johan, Edelhart, and Peewit were organizing a militia of villagers with improvised weapons. Others had abandoned storm repair and were building a hasty palisade around the perimeters of the village mounds.

"But you need a trained fighter, and you trained me yourself, you and Johan!"

"That was before we knew you were heir to a kingdom. We're expendable, you are not."

"But wouldn't I be safest with you?"

"No, you'll be safest with the women, children and elders in the main hall. Maenad is going to guard it. You can help her if you want to do something."

Savina pouted until she realized it was making her look more like a spoiled girl. She rode to the main hall to stand guard with Maenad as she was told…for now.

"As soon as they need me, I'll go to them. Don't you try to stop me," she said to Maenad, who sighed in agreement.

* * *

Gerard and his men pushed the tiny skiff through marshes and canals, where the trees grew thick and the reeds came over their heads. They felt completely lost, and the mist didn't make things any better.

"Are you sure you know where we're going, my liege?" one of the knights asked, a young man named Geoffrey.

The pink ribbon fluttered in Gerard's fingers. "I do. Bear left…now, around that bend." The men followed faithfully, until the outline of a village appeared in the mist.

"Thank God, we're here…wherever here is," murmured Gerard, half to his men, half to his Smurf companions who were hidden in a clay pot.

They slowly paddled to the village, which seemed to be on islands in the floodwaters. As they drew closer, they saw crude fortifications everywhere, as if the village was preparing for an attack.

"I don't like the looks of this, sire."

"Take us to the main gate…if there is one. We're outnumbered, but we can try to reason with them."

As soon as the boat was in sight, it was met with a rain of arrows.

"Reason, with them eh?" Arrows whizzed by as they made a frantic retreat.

"Wait! Stop! Hold your fire!" that voice was familiar. Johan? A gate slowly opened.

"Should we trust them?" whispered Geoffrey.

"We don't seem to have a choice. This is where the princess is being held.

* * *

They cautiously left the boat and waded ashore, the knights surrounding their king, swords drawn, the King looking as regal as possible while clutching a simple pot.

They were met by fierce looking common folk, clutching pitchforks, axes, and old fashioned machete-like seax knives.

The men parted to let a rider though. It was Johan. Behind him came another mounted nobleman, who looked like an older version of Johan. His father, Sir Edelhart.

"King Gerard! What are you doing here?"

"I think I should be asking that question! What are you doing hiding with these pirates, and where are Dennis and princess Savina?"

"It's…complicated. Please, come with us and we'll explain everything." Johan said, signaling the villagers to back down.

"Tell me, your highness, did you come with just these men?" Asked Edelhart.

"There are others several miles from here waiting for me, not more than a dozen."

"Then we need to make this a quick explanation, because we're all still in great danger. There's an army on the way, and they are close."

"An army, close behind? Who would…_oh, no…"_

_…you can't trust them. They're bullshitting you…_The mysterious Mesa Ryu's words echoed in Gerard's mind as he and his companions went to a drier place to hear the story of how Savina had come to the Village of Runaways.


End file.
